The Martyrs of the New Millennium

Seton Hall University's Department of Catholic Studies invites you to a lecture with renowned author Robert Royal, Ph.D., on his new book, The Martyrs of the New Millennium: The Global Persecution of Christians in the Twenty-First Century. This lecture will take place at 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, in the University Center, Room 206.

Royal will be presenting his new book, which documents persecution and martyrdom of many Christians in our time. Though mostly overlooked, the harrowing stories of hundreds of thousands of fellow Christians from around the world who gave their lives for the Faith in recent years, including full-scale genocides of Christians in several countries, are a part of our history crying out to be told. This presentation will document the persecution and martyrdom of many Christians in our time, revealing how thousands more are right now living courageously under oppressive regimes facing similar threats and dangers daily.

As Royal explains,

Many people believe that martyrdom is a thing of the past, that persecution of Christians has been abolished from modern, democratic societies. Both beliefs are false. Christians are being martyred in dozens of countries around the world today, by political regimes, international criminal gangs and especially by radical Islamists. And the problem is not limited to other countries outside the West. There were over 1000 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe last year, arson and vandalism against churches is increasing and pressures on Christians in our democratic public square are common. Anyone who wants to know the full truth about the situation of Christians in our time must become aware of all these truths and commit to doing something about them.

In addition, Royal will explain how the very notion of modern martyrdom has
undergone several developments in the papacies of St. John Paul II and Pope Francis. Royal chronicles the heartrending stories of heroic priests, religious and laypeople who are being brutally persecuted, tortured and martyred today by various groups, including radical Islamists, criminal gangs, political extremists and satanic cults.

This event is free and open to the public.

About the Speaker
Robert Royal is the founder and president of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C. and editor-in-chief of The Catholic Thing. His books include: 1492 And All That: Political Manipulations of History, Reinventing the American People: Unity and Diversity Today, The Virgin and the Dynamo: The Use and Abuse of Religion in the Environment Debate, Dante Alighieri in the Spiritual Legacy Series, The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive Global History, The Pope's Army, The God That Did Not Fail, Columbus and the Crisis of the West and A Deeper Vision: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in the Twentieth Century. Royal holds a B.A. and M.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Catholic University of America. He has taught at Brown University, Rhode Island College and The Catholic University of America. He received fellowships to study in Italy from the Renaissance Society of America (1977) and as a Fulbright scholar (1978). From 1980 to 1982, he served as editor-in-chief of Prospect magazine in Princeton, New Jersey.

Categories: Education, Faith and Service