Remember child abuse victims today

As Christendom celebrates the Feast of the Holy Innocents or Niños Inocentes today, a high-ranking Church official called on the public to remember children who have been victims of abuse.

Today, Dec. 28, the Catholic Church remembers the massacre of the innocents, whom Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez called “martyrs.”

“The holy innocents were the infants killed in order to kill Jesus, thus they died for Jesus. They are martyrs,” he said.

But despite this awareness over the years, atrocities or abuses continue to be made against children.

“May we become aware of the many children victims of abuse in our society, of which Jesus became a part when he became human,” added Iniguez, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee.

Christians remember the Biblical story of King Herod ordering the execution of all male children two years old and below in the village of Bethlehem, with the intention that the new-born “King of the Jews” would also be killed.

Herod was informed by the magi that they were traveling to Bethlehem to find and pay homage to the King of Jews.

An angel warned Mary and Joseph about Herod’s plans and the young family fled to Egypt.