Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, paid tribute to St. Agatha during an August 17 Mass marking the 900th anniversary of the return of her relics to Catania.
“Celebrating this anniversary, means recognizing that the Lord has been faithful to his Church throughout the centuries, sustaining her in times of trial, purifying her in difficulties, and continually making her flourish anew through the witness of the saints,” Cardinal Parolin preached, adding:
Let us therefore remember and pray at this moment for all these brothers and sisters of ours scattered throughout the various parts of the world who suffer persecution for the name of the Lord and for his Gospel. But let us not forget that there is also, so to speak, a bloodless martyrdom to which we too are called.
Cardinal Parolin also paid tribute to St. Agatha during a prayer vigil the previous evening.