Pope Francis Adds Coptic Orthodox Martyrs to Liturgical Book of Saints

[Michie]

The 21 men were beheaded by ISIS on a beach in Libya on Feb. 15, 2015; the Pope received a relic of the martyrs’ blood as a gift from the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Pope Francis said Thursday that the Coptic Orthodox martyrs killed by ISIS in 2015 will be added to the Catholic Church’s official list of saints. He also received a relic of the martyrs’ blood as a gift.

“I am glad to announce today that, with the consent of Your Holiness, these 21 martyrs will be inserted into the Roman Martyrology as a sign of the spiritual communion uniting our two Churches,” Francis said in a speech to the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II.

The Roman Martyrology is an official list of the saints and blesseds, including martyrs, recognized in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The list is ordered according to the Church’s calendar of feast days.

The Pope met with Tawadros II and other Coptic Orthodox representatives at the Vatican May 11.

In his speech, Pope Francis said he had “no words” to express his gratitude for the Orthodox leader’s gift of relics of the Coptic martyrs, who were beheaded by ISIS on a beach in Libya on Feb. 15, 2015.

“May the prayer of the Coptic martyrs, united with that of the Theotokos, continue to grow the friendship between our Churches, until the blessed day when we can celebrate together at the same altar and commune in the same Body and Blood of the Savior, ‘that the world may believe,’” Francis said.

Continued below.

Pope Francis Adds Coptic Orthodox Martyrs to Liturgical Book of Saints

The 21 men were beheaded by ISIS on a beach in Libya on Feb. 15, 2015; the Pope received a relic of the martyrs’ blood as a gift from the Coptic Orthodox Church.

www.ncregister.com

 

[narnia59]

I'm glad he did this. Those men were an inspiration to all, died as martyrs and should be remembered by all.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I'm glad he did this. Those men were an inspiration to all, died as martyrs and should be remembered by all.

I'm three quarters OK with this. I personally recognized them as martyrs within days of their killings. I just wish the universal Church was less hasty to rush people into the category of recognized saints. That should take years and years.

 

[narnia59]

I'm three quarters OK with this. I personally recognized them as martyrs within days of their killings. I just wish the universal Church was less hasty to rush people into the category of recognized saints. That should take years and years.

I sort of thought martyrs got a fast track on that though. Others I would agree with you on.

 

[Michie]

I just read this:

The 21 Coptic Martyrs: More Orthodox Saints in the Catholic Church

I have already remarked on the fact that Pope Francis made a non-Catholic a Doctor of the Catholic Church. St. Gregory Narek was a monk in the Armenian Apostolic Church, who died in the early 11th century. I also wrote a post on how Eastern Catholic Churches have brought Orthodox saints with...

www.christianforums.com

 

[chevyontheriver]

I sort of thought martyrs got a fast track on that though. Others I would agree with you on.

They don't need miracles attested to them, but that's not my point. Caution should be exceptional before the universal Church jumps on any bandwagon. A local Church or individuals should also be cautious, but maybe a bit less so.

Martyrs are in simply because of their witness unto death. I'm just down on 'sante subito' stuff. I do recognize JPII as a saint. I just think it was all too hasty.

I don't mind that these people were Oriental Orthodox either. I can see that. Maybe the OO can recognize some of our saints if it really is going to be a two way street. I just want some speed limits.

 

[Michie]

Unpacking how history changed yesterday with recognition of Coptic martyrs

For a pope often accused of breaking with his immediate predecessors, this decision places Francis squarely in continuity with Pope John Paul II.

cruxnow.com

 

[Sword of the Lord]

I'm three quarters OK with this. I personally recognized them as martyrs within days of their killings. I just wish the universal Church was less hasty to rush people into the category of recognized saints. That should take years and years.

I don't think it should take 8 years, let alone years and years, to be like, "uhhhh yeah they're martyrs." It's pretty obvious.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I don't think it should take 8 years, let alone years and years, to be like, "uhhhh yeah they're martyrs." It's pretty obvious.

Pretty obvious, but we expect it to be absolutely certain, so a few more years is not a real issue.

 

[Michie]

It is in the news that Pope Francis is enrolling 21 men who were killed by ISIS some years ago into the Roman Martyrology.

Here are some questions and my own (quick but hopefully not sloppy) answers, and there are also some “arrows” for more reading.

What happened?

The basic story is that 21 Christian men were executed by ISIS on a beach in Libya in February of 2015. Some of them were calling on Christ as they were put to death. 20 of them were known to be Coptic Orthodox, one man, from Ghana, is less clearly identifiable as Coptic. It is not actually totally clear that the executions were strictly motivated by the religion of the men, nor is it so clear that each of the men went to their deaths voluntarily – these are two of the normal requirements for being recognized as a martyr. If anyone can help me with more details on this, I would be thankful.

Who are the Coptic Orthodox?

Continued below.

Questions and Answers on the “Coptic Martyrs”

Eamonn Clark, STL It is in the news that Pope Francis is enrolling 21 men who were killed by ISIS some years ago into the Roman Martyrology. Here are some questions and my own (quick but hopefully …

christianrenaissancemovement.com

 

[RileyG]

Ora pro nobis

 

[chevyontheriver]

It is in the news that Pope Francis is enrolling 21 men who were killed by ISIS some years ago into the Roman Martyrology.

Here are some questions and my own (quick but hopefully not sloppy) answers, and there are also some “arrows” for more reading.

What happened?

The basic story is that 21 Christian men were executed by ISIS on a beach in Libya in February of 2015. Some of them were calling on Christ as they were put to death. 20 of them were known to be Coptic Orthodox, one man, from Ghana, is less clearly identifiable as Coptic. It is not actually totally clear that the executions were strictly motivated by the religion of the men, nor is it so clear that each of the men went to their deaths voluntarily – these are two of the normal requirements for being recognized as a martyr. If anyone can help me with more details on this, I would be thankful.

Who are the Coptic Orthodox?

Continued below.

Questions and Answers on the “Coptic Martyrs”

Eamonn Clark, STL It is in the news that Pope Francis is enrolling 21 men who were killed by ISIS some years ago into the Roman Martyrology. Here are some questions and my own (quick but hopefully …

christianrenaissancemovement.com

An interesting question from the article: “How is it that people who like the 1962 Roman Missal are “too divisive,” but people who openly reject the entire idea of Petrine primacy can be put into the Roman Martyrology?”

I can’t answer that one. Maybe it should be the next Dubia?

 

[Michie]

An interesting question from the article: “How is it that people who like the 1962 Roman Missal are “too divisive,” but people who openly reject the entire idea of Petrine primacy can be put into the Roman Martyrology?”

I can’t answer that one. Maybe it should be the next Dubia?

Good luck on getting that answered.

 

[WarriorAngel]

An interesting question from the article: “How is it that people who like the 1962 Roman Missal are “too divisive,” but people who openly reject the entire idea of Petrine primacy can be put into the Roman Martyrology?”

I can’t answer that one. Maybe it should be the next Dubia?

Are 'all' of their Saints accepted in the West or just those few accepted for their Rite?


Just keep praying....

 

[Michie]

What the Pope Just Did With the 21 Coptic Martyrs Is Historic and Rare — But Not Unprecedented

How will the 21 martyrs be viewed in the Catholic Church? Into what category will they be put?

www.ncregister.com

 

[WarriorAngel]

And so in this adoption, one would allow for them to do the same for the Saints of Roman Church and I am sure there are a few they admired.
The interesting lives of Saints would be a great start and the miracles....

Common ground is more common than believed I am sure.

 

[RileyG]

I'm glad he did this. Those men were an inspiration to all, died as martyrs and should be remembered by all.

Amen. May they intercede for us before the throne of God.

 

[Michie]

On the Coptic martyrs, I highly recommend Martin Mosebach’s book, The 21: A Journey into the Land of the Coptic Martyrs. It opens up the world of Coptic Christians in Egypt through the eyes of a Catholic visitor.

The 21 Coptic Martyrs: More Orthodox Saints in the Catholic Church

I have already remarked on the fact that Pope Francis made a non-Catholic a Doctor of the Catholic Church. St. Gregory Narek was a monk in the Armenian Apostolic Church, who died in the early 11th …

buildingcatholicculture.com

 

[JSRG]

While one can of course honor and respect their sacrifices, it seems questionable to me for the Catholic Church to add non-Catholics to the formal list of saints.

EDIT: Actually, are they in the formal list of saints? I am finding conflicting information about this. Some sources say they're only on the Martyrology (which includes people not formally declared saints, e.g. What the Pope Just Did With the 21 Coptic Martyrs Is Historic and Rare — But Not Unprecedented saying "Not everybody in the Roman Martyrology is a saint. It also includes blesseds, and some individuals are simply listed as martyrs or in other ways.") but others seem to indicate it's more official than that, as in the case of the linked article in the opening post that says "Pope Francis said Thursday that the Coptic Orthodox martyrs killed by ISIS in 2015 will be added to the Catholic Church’s official list of saints." So which is it? Are they saints in the same sense as, say, John Paul II or are they just listed in the Martyrology but not formally declared to be saints?

 

[dzheremi]

This is really interesting to me, as a Coptic Orthodox person. I already thought it was interesting to see St. Gregory of Narek being accepted as a saint in the RC communion (also St. Nerses Shnorhali, though for a few reasons that one is a bit more understandable), but the Copts are historically and presently (despite the very welcome friendship that the current Coptic and Roman Popes enjoy) quite a bit farther afield than the Armenians, both culturally and in terms of the historical and present position we embrace regarding matters of Church unity and other matters that separate us from the Chalcedonians.

In saying that, though, I would also say that I think this acceptance by the RCC is a very good illustration of the unity at the basic level that already exists across communal lines among the laity of our two churches, and probably among all churches likewise, not forgetting that we have major differences in phronema, practice, belief, etc. Because of the presence of the holy Ghanaian martyr St. Matthew Ayairga, we can say as he said when he was asked by the terrorists as to his religion, "Their God is my God" (i.e., I am not an Egyptian, but I recognize in their faith the true God.) I think most Coptic people would say that with regard to most western Christians, since the questions I most often got as a convert coming from western Christianity were more basically comparative, e.g., "We do this; do the other churches also do this/do they do it in the same way as we do?" Nobody ever really asked about Chalcedon or anything like that, because that doesn't enter into to our everyday lives as Christians, whereas the witness of the 21 new martyrs of Libya certainly does. Or, as H.E. Metropolitan Youssef wrote when he was still HG Bishop Youssef: "The 21 men of Libya are men of valor and courage. We need to respect them for who they are and what befall them [sic]. The 21 martyrs of Libya are to be commended for allowing those of all beliefs, nationalities, and political platforms to bear witness to instantaneous sainthood through videography." (Source; emphasis mine)