SW News: Pope Francis has added Coptic Orthodox martyrs to the liturgical book of saints. The compendium of saints has now been enriched with the addition of the 21 Copts who were martyred for the faith on a beach by Islamic State militants in the North African nation of Libya on February 15, 2015. The Holy Father also received a blood relic of the martyrs from Patriarch Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Church on Thursday.

The Holy Father said, “In this journey of friendship, we are also accompanied by the martyrs, who testify that no one has greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. I have no words to express my gratitude for the precious gift of a relic of the Coptic martyrs killed in Libya on 15 February 2015. These martyrs were baptized not only in water and the Spirit but also in blood, with blood that is a seed of unity for all followers of Christ. I am pleased to announce today that these twenty-one martyrs will be included in the Roman Martyrology as a sign of the spiritual communion uniting our two Churches.

"May the prayers of the Coptic martyrs, united with those of the Theotokos [Mother of God], continue to make our Churches grow in friendship, until the blessed day when we will be able to celebrate together at the same altar and commune with the same Body and Blood of the Savior that the world may believe."

This took place in the backdrop of the celebrations on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Patriarch Shenouda III of Alexandria and Pope St. Paul VI's historic meeting, which marked a turning point in ties between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Churches. The Coptic Patriarch was in the Vatican to commemorate the historic event that resulted in the signing of a joint Christological agreement ending a 1,500-year-old theological dispute.

On Thursday, there was a prayer service in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic Palace which was attended by the heads of the two Churches. It marked the end of the meeting between Pope Francis and Tawadros II. During the General Audience on Wednesday, the Holy Father and Tawadros II expressed their appreciation for the partnership between the two Churches.

The Holy Father said, “Fifty years ago, Pope Saint Paul VI welcomed Pope Shenouda III to Saint Peter’s Basilica. Dear friend Tawadros, I thank you for accepting my invitation to commemorate together the jubilee of this historic event in 1973, as well as the tenth anniversary of our first meeting in 2013. In the ecumenical journey, it is always important to look ahead.”