This week in Christian history: 21 Copts martyred, Philander Chase becomes Episcopal bishop

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, February 11, 2024

21 Coptic Christians martyred by ISIS – Feb. 15, 2015

Christians take part in a symbolic funeral procession in Jerusalem's Old City on February 18, 2015, for the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians beheaded by the Islamic State (IS) group on a Libyan beach. Egypt pushed for action against jihadists in Libya ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting but faced reluctance from Western powers who stressed the need for a political solution. | AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

This week marks the anniversary of when 21 Coptic Christian men were beheaded by the terrorist group the Islamic State in Libya, with a video of the executions being posted online.

The 21 individuals had been abducted from Egypt and taken to the Libyan city of Sirte, which was controlled by an ISIS affiliate. They were executed along a beach, with one of the terrorists declaring in English “we will conquer Rome.”

The executions garnered widespread outrage in Egypt and overseas, with many human rights activists seeing it as part of a broader uptick in persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

Last year, Pope Francis announced that the 21 Coptic Christians would be officially recognized as martyrs by the Catholic Church, with their feast day being Feb. 15.

The decision by the Roman pontiff received the blessing of Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with Francis calling it “a sign of the spiritual communion that unites our two Churches.”