Mass held for Coptic martyrs upon their bodies’ arrival to Minya

CAIRO -15 May 2018: Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church upon the bodies’ arrival to Minya in the early morning of Tuesday.


Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church-Press Photo

The martyrs' bodies were put in the shrine at The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church, built by the Armed Forces under President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s instructions to honor the martyrs.


Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church-Press Photo

This was followed by a mass held by Bishop Bevnotious and Bishop Armia, head of the Coptic Culture Center, on the behalf of Pope Tawadros II.


Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church-Press Photo

The martyrs'families expressed their thanks and appreciation to President Sisi for the efforts exerted by the government to find the bodies and secure their arrival to their homeland.

Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church-Press Photo

The Libyan authorities transferred the remains of the 20 Egyptian Copts, who were killed in Sirte by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists in February 2015, to Misrata Airport to be transferred to Cairo International Airport on May 14.


Thousands of residents of Al-Our village, Minya, flocked on Tuesday to the shrine of the 21 Coptic martyrs in The Martyrs of Faith and Homeland Church-Press Photo

Member of the Department of Criminal Investigation in Misurata, Ali Mahmoud, affirmed that the remains of the 20 Egyptian Copts who were beheaded by the Islamic State (IS) in Libya in 2015 will be transferred to Egypt on May 14.

Mahmoud told Egypt Today that the Libyan Ministry of Interior, Public Attorney’s office, and a number of security officials in Misrata will be supervising the process.

In 2015, IS published a video dubbed “A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross”, where a number of masked IS members appeared beheading the unarmed victims.

On May 6, Siddiq Assour, head of investigations at the Libyan Attorney General's Office, said that he ordered that the victims' remains be transferred to Egypt.

The decision was made upon a request from Egyptian Attorney General Nabil Sadek, and Libyan Attorney General Abdul Qader Juma Radwan agreed to return the remains on Mar. 14.

Assour said in March that the Libyan authorities coordinated with Egypt to send the bodies of the victims following DNA tests.

Forensic samples were taken from the bodies of the beheaded victims and were sent to Egypt to be identified by their families.