Pope Laments More Christians Killed, Persecuted

Pope Francis on Friday lamented what he said was an ever-increasing number of Christians being persecuted and killed around the world.

The pope noted "the dramatic situation of Christians who are persecuted and killed in ever increasing numbers... before a world that all too often looks the other way."

"Besides being martyred through blood, there is also 'white martyrdom' such as we see in democratic countries where freedom of religion is limited," he said.

The pope was speaking to members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, which carries out educational and humanitarian work in the Holy Land (Cyprus, Jordan, Palestine and Israel).

The pontiff warned in July that Christians may disappear from the Middle East, "disfiguring the very face of the region."