Blessed Takayama Ukon, a Catholic samurai, renounced all worldly riches and honor instead of denying his faith and influenced the conversion of tens of thousands of Japanese Catholics. His intercession will be helpful for those facing anti-Christian persecution.
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(LifeSiteNews) — Among the dozens of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump so far, “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias” is the most spiritually far-reaching. Trump issued the order “to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government” on February 6.
That happened to be the feast day of St. Paul Miki and Companions, the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597. Their martyrdom marked the decisive turn from tolerance and even support for Christianity on the part of the country’s military rulers to persecution and the eventual outlawing of the faith.
