“Christians must beware of a “polite” persecution that is cloaked in a disguise of “culture, modernity and progress,” Pope Francis said. (Catholic News Service)

The Pope distinguished between two kinds of persecution: the first is clear and explicit, targeting someone who confesses the name of Jesus Christ. The other form of persecution is “disguised as culture, disguised as modernity, disguised as progress.” (Catholic News Agency)

“It is important that Pope Francis recognizes and speaks out his concerns of a dominating cultural behaviors that goes against human dignity and certain Christian values. Concerns that are also shared in the report on “tackling intolerance and discrimination in Europe with a special focus on Christians”that was adopted with a large majority at the Council of Europe in January 2015,”  says Leo Van Doesburg, EU Affairs Director of the European Christian Political Movement.