Warsaw, Poland - A Roman Catholic group in western Poland drew attention to modern-day Christians who have been killed or imprisoned for their beliefs through a poster campaign in public places.
The effort, called "Modern Martyrs" consists of posters of seven victims, including the Rev. Andrea Santoro, a Catholic priest who was shot dead Feb. 5 while kneeling in prayer at a church in Turkey. He was killed amid heightened tensions over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in several European newspapers.
The posters were displayed at churches, a university and on trams in the city of Poznan and announced a prayer service that was to be held Friday, marking the beginning of Lent.
"We want to show to the Poles that in the 21st century there are still places where Christians are brutally persecuted," said Piotr Pilarczyk, the head of the St. Benedict Foundation, which organized the project.
Pilarczyk said the focus of the campaign is not on the perpetrators, but on raising awareness that Christians, too, have suffered for their belief, even in modern times.