"We are called the nation of the cross," begins Samuel Armnius, the Coptic-born filmmaker at the beginning of his new documentary. Like all children of the Egyptian Coptic Church, he learned in catechism about the martyrs who had died for their faith. Now the much more recent story of the martyrs by the hands of ISIS has been added to the historical list. It was nine years ago, on February 15, 2015, that 20 Coptic Orthodox Christians, mostly from Egypt, and one Ghanaian protestant Christian, were beheaded by members of ISIS on a beach in Libya. 

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, “In the Vatican,” Armnius said, “21 names of very poor people from an unknown village in the middle of nowhere, 155 miles (250 km) from Cairo, were mentioned during a Liturgy at the Vatican. Only God can do that. It surpasses us; we are instruments, and God allows it.”

These Coptic men together with a protestant from Ghana were recognized as saints and martyrs by the Coptic Orthodox Church six days after their deaths. 

Pope Francis announced their inclusion in the Roman martyrology in 2023, on the occasion of the visit of Coptic Pope Tawadros II. This year for the first time, this shared remembrance gave rise to an ecumenical celebration bringing together Catholics and Coptic Orthodox in a side chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the celebration. 

“In this present time,” Cardinal Koch said, “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.” 

Most of the martyrs were choristers who sang the same hymns from their childhood, hymns that Rome's Coptic-Orthodox parish also sang during the solemn ecumenical prayer. 

Cardinal Koch continued, “And this is a tremendous gift, this blood, which the martyrs have given with their life, that it does not divide Christians but unites Christians.” 

Following the ecumenical prayer, the participants went to the Vatican film library for a screening of Samuel Armnius’ documentary dedicated to the martyrs titled, "The 21: the Power of Faith, The Village of the Martyrs.” The film is based on the testimonies of the martyrs' families and takes place in the Egyptian village where 13 of the 21 martyrs came from. 

About the documentary, Armnius explained, “It's a journey where we enter the homes of people who have experienced very painful things and it's the search for the testimony of a faith that has dried up in everyday life in Europe. Where we are lost in all this consumerism and endless propositions that become dizzying. Well, there you find yourself in a village where people have God as their option when materialism is not an option.

“In poverty there is God. God is there, and we wanted to tell them: We in Europe, the Western world, have not forgotten you. We are with you in what you have experienced. And we carry them to the Vatican.”

The 21 martyrs have also become a source of national pride for Egypt, where the Christian minority has found new support and a firmer footing after years of hardship marked by numerous attacks. 

According to Fr. Hyacinthe Destivelle, from the Oriental Section of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican, who oversees Catholic-Coptic dialogue, the martyrs' witness demonstrates that the ecumenism of blood can foster a relationship between the Churches grounded in trust and brotherhood. 

Fr. Hyacinthe said, “We need this ecumenism of saints and martyrs because saints are already in unity, they are already in communion. While we are still divided, they show us the way towards unity through their example, their prayer, and the blood they have shed as witnesses. The term ‘martyrs’ means ‘witness’ in Greek. So, we are invited to follow them and rely on their intercession to walk towards unity.” 

The martyrs are portrayed wearing liturgical vestments, in the role of deacons. This representation echoes the imagery of martyrs from the first centuries, showcasing early Christianity's view on martyrdom and the unity of Christians through it.

Adapted by Jacob Stein