Pope Francis urged the international community not to 'look the other way ' and act over the killings of Christians around the globe , during his Easter Monday address . Speaking to tourists and Catholic pilgrims in St Peter 's Square , the pontiff asked for 'tangible help ' from communities all over the world for Christians persecuted because of their faith - but stopped short of suggesting what actions should be taken . The Pope , aged 78 , has been increasingly vocal about the fate of Christians being targeted by Islamic extremists in parts of the Middle East , Africa and Asia . A gust of wind blows as Pope Francis gives his Easter Monday address . He urged the international community not to 'look the other way ' as Christians across the world face violence and attacks because of their religion . Hundreds of Catholic pilgrims and tourists stood in St Peter 's Square in Vatican City to listen to the Pope speak on Easter Monday . He urged for 'tangible help ' to Christians being persecuted around the globe . The latest address follows his speech on Easter Sunday , where he said he was praying for the victims of armed conflict , including the students massacred by Somali gunmen at a university in Kenya . He was also building on his Good Friday denunciation of what he then called 'complicit silence ' about the targeting of Christians . 'They are our martyrs of today , and they are many . We can say that they are more numerous than in the first centuries ' , Pope Francis said . During his address on Monday he praised those who were 'sensitizing public opinion about the persecution of Christians in the world ' Pope Francis reaches out to bless the crowd gathered below . He said the international community must not stand 'mute ' as Christians having their basic human rights taken away because of their faith . The reflection of the Vatican , where Pope Francis gave his speech , can bee seen in this woman 's sunglasses as she films the event . Hundreds flocked to the Holy See of the Catholic church in Rome for the address . Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican , Pope Francis asked for 'concrete participation and tangible help in defense and protection of our brothers and our sisters , who are persecuted , exiled , slain , beheaded , solely for being Christian . ' He added : ' I hope that the international community does n't stand mute and inert before such unacceptable crimes , which constitute a worrisome erosion of the most elementary human rights . I truly hope that the international community does n't look the other way . ' On Thursday militant Islamist group al-Shabab attacked the Garissa University , killing 148 people . Survivors said the militants spared Muslim students but taunted Christian and Jewish students before killing them . Pope Francis has used his Easter addresses to urge greater protection for Christian communities , after Christian students were killed in an attack on a Kenyan university by militant Islamist group al-Shabab . In Iraq and Syria , the advance of Islamic State group fighters has forced members of ancient Christian communities to flee their homes . Statistics from the International Society for Human Rights show Christians are the victims of 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today . The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hailed the victims of the Kenyan university massacre during his Easter Sunday sermon , adding that Christians must resist without violence the persecution they suffer . This is Pope Francis ' third Easter since he was elected in 2011 as the head of the Catholic Church , which has 1.2 billion members worldwide .
Pope Francis says Christians coming under imminent threat of persecution . calling for ' tangible compensation ' for those ' persecuted solely for being Christian ' Speech follows attacks on Kenyan university which left 148 people dead .