Vatican hosts veneration of relics of 21 Coptic martyrs of Libya on first feast dayThe relics of 21 Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS in Libya will be venerated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening at an ecumenical prayer service marking their first official feast day in the Catholic Church. Feb 16, 2024Icon of the 21 Martyrs of Libya. Pope Francis added the 21 Coptic martyrs to the Roman Martyrology, the Church’s official list of saints, last May as he met with the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Tawadros II. The Egyptian government and the Coptic Orthodox Church later confirmed the video’s authenticity. The Coptic Orthodox Church declared the 21 Coptic Christians as martyr saints within only a week of their murder in 2015 along the Libyan coast.

Source: Libya Today February 16, 2024 11:56 UTC