The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis celebrated mass for the dead in one of the oldest catacombs in Rome and acknowledged the "persecuted Christians" who still have to hide today.
"For the first time in my life I am entering the catacombs," the pope said as he entered the cemetery with 13 kilometers of underground galleries built in the first centuries of Christianity.
"We should think of the lives of those people who had to hide to pay respect to the dead," the pope said.
Francis said that today in the world there are catacombs in many countries, where Christians go, stating that they are celebrating a birthday instead of a religious holiday, because their faith is forbidden.
The Pope said that in many countries it is forbidden to be a Christian because it is considered a crime.
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