Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century : A Comprehensive World History (Hardcover)

by Robert Royal (Author), Royal Robert (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Although an abundance of literature devoted to the lives and deaths of historical martyrs exists, scant attention has been paid to Catholic martyrs of the twentieth century. Estimating that approximately one million of the faithful have been martyred over the past 100 years, Royal attempts to validate and document these contemporary victims. Citing the antireligious nature of many modern regimes, he traces both the origins and the results of a relatively recent form of brutal, technologically enhanced religious persecution that has culminated in an unprecedented number of mass murders and individual victims. The virtual globalization of anti-Christian sentiment is underscored by the fact that the chapters outlining the atrocities are arranged primarily by nation. An eloquent, painstakingly researched tribute to those ordinary human beings who managed to meet oppression and death with extraordinary dignity, grace, and faith. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews
Historian Royal (President/Faith and Reason Institute) surveys the Catholics who, on every continent but Antarctica and Australia, have died for their beliefs in the course of the last century.After an introduction defining the meaning of martyrdom in Catholic faith and devotion, and an explanation of some of the guidelines by which the church determines whether a particular murder constitutes martyrdom, Royal surveys the waves of persecution--from the Mexican government's anticlerical war on the church in the 1920s to the near-genocidal tribal conflicts in Burundi and Rwanda in the 1990s--that have produced more martyrs than any other period of Christian history. Although the stories of many of these figures (such as Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, and Oscar Romero) are well-known, others (the heroic Mexican Jesuit Miguel Pro) are more obscure, and some accounts (the many martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, the victims of postwar Romania's "reeducation," and the surprising story of the Albanian security agent whose denunciation of the Enver Hoxha's persecutions was inadvertently broadcast in 1948) will be new to most readers. Royal treads delicately around some of the more controversial aspects of his martyrology (like the pre-WWII anti-Semitic writings of Kolbe), and he is plainly uncomfortable with the political thrust of the story of Romero and the other martyrs of El Salvador. And some of people profiled here (such as China's Cardinal Ignatius Kung) are not martyrs in the strict sense of the word, as they suffered for their faith without giving their lives. Royal's catalog of the horrors that Catholics, like so many others, suffered at the hands of brutal regimes of both right and left in this bloody century will edify believers--and should provide a useful (and often surprising) historical corrective for all scholars of the modern age. -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Crossroad General Interest (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824518462
• ISBN-13: 978-0824518462
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #381,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for the New Millennium, December 19, 2000

By	Tim Drake "Author and Journalist" (Saint Joseph, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

No period in history has seen greater persecution of Christians, and so we should not be surprised that the 20th century has seen the creation of perhaps more martyrs and Saints than any other historical period which preceeded it.

In his book, Robert Royal examines the persecution of Catholics in countries such as Mexico, Spain, Austria, and Poland over the last century.

Royal's book includes extensive research and compelling background material for each of the martyrs addressed. The book includes such well-known martyrs such as St. Maximilian Kolbe, Miguel Pro, and Bishop Oscar Romero, and also introduces the reader to lesser-known martyrs for the faith.

No Pope has canonized or beatified as many Saints as Pope John Paul II. A great many of them are from the 20th century. There is a reason that the Pope has done this. He realizes that we will need the role models of these faithful men and women as we face the future.

Royal presents us with the stories behind many of these very men and women. Their stories are both extraordinary and inspirational.

Royal's book presents not only the stories of these martyrs, but also a history of the Church versus socialist/communist governments. In the end, it is a book about good and evil.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important book for historians of all faiths, July 29, 2000

By	"yoco" (, New York USA) - See all my reviews

Are you willing to die for your faith? Most of us in the western industrialized world don't really think about this much, but throughout the world in the past century tens of millions of christians, both Catholic and Protestants, were faced with the choice of renouncing thier belife in Jesus as their personal savior or death, often by brutal and very painful means. In this book Robert Royal looks at primarialy those of the Catholic faith who chose to heroicaly to die rather then renounce thier belifes. In essentialy a chronologigal order Mr Royal introduces us to these very brave and faithful people starting with the 1920's Mexican civil war and the Turkish attempt at genocide (See "Not even My Name" by Thea Halo") to the recent civil wars in Africa and the brutal communist chinnese gulags.My Royal's writing is at it's best in chapters that are narrowly focused such as his chapters detailing the stories of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, who gave his life in a Nazi concentraton camp so that another may live , and Edith Stien's story who also died at the hands of the nazi's. In a few other chapters however, we are given so much information and so many names that the gory detais blend together to the point that they detract from the overall individual suffering involved.This book should be required reading for all Christians and historians that care about the plight of thier fellow man. It also is quite an insperational book for those who occaisionaly feel a little weak in thier fath.Definitly recomended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an exceptional book!, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

I urge all to read Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century. However, have patience with the introduction as it is sometimes tedious and difficult. Although, the introduction is invaluable in understanding the stories that follow. The book is a fantastic tribute to the people who became heroes in the face of great oppression. This book gives historical facts and inspiring true accounts of extraordinary people caught up in overwhelming situations. The author brings the Martyrs to life with logic and research. Read this book and you will glimpse the faith that was an inner force that guided the lives of these great people. By their examples our beliefs are strengthened and our faith enriched. I enthusiastically recommend this book!