FOUR MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY AMONG 16 KILLED IN YEMEN

The news that four members of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, were among 16 people killed today by gunmen at a retirement home in Yemen, is deeply troubling and sad.

According to news reports, the four nuns were handcuffed and then shot in the head at the retirement home for the poor and homeless that was run by the Missionaries of Charity.

While each day seems to bring a new report of violence against Christians, the slaughter of these four sisters brings the horror of the genocide home. The Missionaries of Charity are known around the world for their selfless acts of love and care for the poorest of the poor. They have worked in the Archdiocese of New York for decades, and Mother Teresa herself was a frequent visitor here. Our love and prayers are with the Missionaries of Charity, especially those who labor so generously here in our archdiocese.

Let us seek intercession of these new martyrs for the faith, and their foundress, Blessed Mother Theresa, as we pray for an end to the persecution and violence against Christians wherever it occurs.