Japanese Christian Martyrs To Honored
When we speak of Japan and religion, the faiths that normally come to mind are Shintoism and Buddhism. After all, these are the religions that are most practiced in the country (and many other Eastern countries). A less known fact is that there is a strong Christian community in Japan and that the country has long history relating to this major world religion.
As a testament to this, the Roman Catholic Church is beatifying Japanese Christian martyrs. What you may not know – and to be honest, I didn’t know this either – is that many Japanese people were persecuted because of their Christian faith in the 1600s. These people came from all walks of life. Some were samurais, some were housewives, some were even children!
On Monday, the Roman Catholic Church is going to hold a ceremony honoring these people. According to the tenets of this religion, this kind of ceremony is going to bestow the people an honor one step below sainthood. More than the beatification of the martyrs, however, the ceremony means a lot to the relatively small number of Christians in the country. For them, it is a show of strength, a testament to the existence of their faith in a country dominated by other religions.
Another interesting piece of trivia for you: did you know that Japan currently has a Roman Catholic Prime Minister in Taro Aso? He actually holds the distinction of being the first ever Catholic PM of the country!
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Posted November 21st, 2008 by Maki | Comment (0)Leave a Reply
