There are more than 1,500 new martyrs of the 21st century. That is the estimate being considered by the Holy See. The Vatican created a commission in 2023 to document these numerous cases of Christians persecuted for their faith.
Among them, for example, are the 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians beheaded by ISIS on a beach in Libya in 2015.
Also considered is Dorothy Stang, the American missionary murdered in the Amazon, whose relic is kept in a church in Rome.
For all of them, this commemoration was led by Pope Leo XIV, accompanied by Orthodox leaders from the Patriarchates of Moscow, Armenia, and Greece, as well as representatives of other Christian denominations: Anglicans, Lutherans, and Evangelicals.
In his homily during this Liturgy of the Word, Pope Leo remembered all those who, like Jesus, gave their lives for their faith.
POPE LEO XIV
Many brothers and sisters, even today, because of their witness of faith in difficult situations and hostile environments, carry the same cross of the Lord. Like Him, they are persecuted, condemned, and killed.
The Pontiff also denounced ongoing religious persecution in many parts of the world.
POPE LEO XIV
There may be many examples, because unfortunately, despite the fall of the great dictatorships of the 20th century, even today the persecution of Christians has not ended—on the contrary, in some parts of the world, it has increased.
The event took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, coinciding with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and with the pope's birthday as well.
