The apostles “are selfless men” who “do not let anyone intimidate them”. “They feel they cannot say: ‘I am’”; rather, they say: “We, the Holy Spirit and us”. Pope Francis explained this in his General Audience catechesis today, dedicated to the theme of discernment in the Acts of the Apostles. “From being fearful, they became courageous, because the Holy Spirit was in them”, Pope Francis said about the attitude of the Twelve, speaking off the cuff. “The same also happens to us”, he continued off the cuff. “If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, then we will have the courage to go ahead, the courage to win many battles. Not by ourselves, but by the Holy Spirit who is with us”. “The Apostles are the megaphone of the Holy Spirit; they are sent by the Risen One to proclaim the saving word of God promptly and without hesitation”, the Pope explained: “They do not retreat but continue their march as fearless witnesses of the Risen Christ, like the martyrs of all times, including ours”. “Martyrs do not retreat”, Pope Francis stressed, explaining the teaching with an off-the-cuff example: “Think back to about four years ago, to those Coptic Orthodox Christians, real Christians, workers, on the beaches of Libya. All of them were beheaded, but their last word was: Jesus. They never renounced their faith, because the Holy Spirit was with them”.