Regarding the contemporary phenomenon of Christian martyrdom, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, said, “In this present time, all churches have their martyrs. Because the Christian faith is the most persecuted faith in the world today. In this sense, we can talk about an ecumenism of martyrs or an ecumenism of blood, because martyrdom has become ecumenical.”  

The relics of 21 Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS in Libya were venerated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, February 15, at an ecumenical prayer service marking their first official feast day in the Catholic Church.  

The evening vespers at the Vatican commemorated the ninth anniversary of the martyrdom of the 21 Coptic Orthodox men who were beheaded by the Islamic State on a beach in Sirte, Libya, on February 15, 2015.  

Last May, Pope Francis added the 21 Coptic martyrs to the Roman Martyrology, the Church’s official list of Saints, when the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II visited Rome.    

The head of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, presided over the ecumenical prayer in the Choir Chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica together with a delegation of the Coptic Orthodox Church.   

Cardinal Koch expressed in his homily the gift of martyrdom for the whole Church, “And this is a tremendous gift, this blood, which the martyrs give for their life, does not divide Christians but unites Christians.”    

A Coptic Orthodox choir provided the music for the liturgy.  

After the prayer service, the Vatican Film Library screened a documentary about the martyrs produced by the Coptic Orthodox Church, which delves into the lives of the martyrs and their families.  

Adapted by Jacob Stein