Pope Francis has designated 21 Coptic victims who were beheaded by the Islamic State as martyrs.

Pope Francis has designated 21 Coptic victims who were beheaded by the Islamic State as martyrs.

Pope Francis declared the Vatican's recognition of the 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians who were beheaded by the Islamic State in Libya in 2015 as martyrs. During a meeting with Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church, he announced the decision and claimed to have Tawadros' approval.

On February 15, 2015, the 21 Copts, 20 Egyptians, and one Ghanaian, were lined up on a beach in Sirte, Libya, which was then under the control of Islamic State. The men can be seen praying as they die in a video that the Islamist group posted of the murders.

Francis remarked to Tawadros that the inclusion of the individuals in the Roman Martyrology—also known as the calendar of saints—was "a sign of the spiritual communion that unites our two

It is anticipated that February 15 will be their "feast" day, which honors their memory.

The 70-year-old Tawadros is in Rome to commemorate the first encounter between a Coptic and a Roman pope, which took place in 1973 between Paul VI and Shenouda III, respectively.

Small Coptic Christian groups can be found throughout the Middle East and Africa. Copts make up around 10% of Egypt's predominantly Muslim population. Islamist militants who view them as heretics have long assaulted them.