Vatican lists 1,624 Christian martyrs in the last 25 years

In 2000, on the occasion of the Jubilee — a major event in the Catholic Church celebrated every 25 years — Pope John Paul II presided over a commemoration of the Christian martyrs of the 20th century.

Following in his footsteps, Pope Francis established a commission in 2023 to update the list with the new martyrs of the 21st century, in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025.

For more than two years, the 11 experts who make up the commission — academics, historians, etc. — compiled a list of these new martyrs, based on reports from local communities (episcopal conferences, religious congregations, etc.).

In total, they have compiled a list of 1,624 martyred Christians of all denominations and from all continents: Africa (643), Asia-Oceania (357), the Americas (304), the Middle East (277), and Europe (43).

The president of this new commission, Archbishop Fabio Fabene, explained the painstaking work involved in creating this catalogue. They studied the geographical, historical, and socio-political context of each case that was submitted.

The archbishop, who is also secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, clarified that this was not a canonization process and that the inclusion of names on the list does not equate to beatification.

The vice-president of the commission, Andrea Riccardi, noted a “profound difference” between the new list and that made in the year 2000, which contained 3,400 names. The mass persecution of the 20th century, due to Soviet or Nazi ideologies, has disappeared. Today, different situations are emerging on different continents.

In the Americas, especially Latin America, Christians are victims of criminal organizations for speaking out against drug trafficking or the exploitation of natural resources. In Africa, they die in jihadist attacks, and also in ethnic conflicts. Also, 110 Europeans died as missionaries on other continents.

This list, which has not yet been published, includes figures who have already been beatified, such as the Italian nun Leonella Sgorbati, murdered by Islamists in Somalia in 2006; and witnesses who have become symbols, such as the Coptic Orthodox Christians executed by ISIS in Libya in 2015, whom Pope Francis had included in the Catholic martyrology.

Also included are the Congolese layman Floribert Bwana Chui bin Kositi, killed in 2007 for resisting an attempt at bribery; the American nun Dorothy Mae Stang, murdered in 2005 in Brazil; the victims of the suicide bombings targeting Catholic churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday 2019; and the four Missionaries of Charity sisters murdered in 2016 during an attack on a Catholic retirement home in Yemen — where they were the last Christian women.

“The figure of 1,624 may seem inaccurate, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg,” said Andrea Riccardi, pointing out the difficulty of gathering data on the fate of Christians who have died in hostile contexts. The Commission intends to continue this work of collecting data on the new martyrs of the 21st century.

These martyrs will be commemorated during a liturgy presided over by Pope Leo XIV on his birthday, Sunday, September 14, at 5 p.m. in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Pope will be accompanied by 24 official delegates representing various Christian denominations. Metropolitan Antony will be present on behalf of the Patriarchate of Moscow.

The prayer service will include a procession, Bible readings — including the Beatitudes — a homily by the Pope, and prayer intentions, during which candles will be lit and placed at the foot of a cross in honor of the deceased.

This commemoration, which should have taken place on May 9 with Pope Francis, was postponed due to the death of the Argentine pontiff on April 21. The new pope has set the celebration for September 14, the feast of the “glorious cross,” or the Exaltation of the Cross.

It will be the only ecumenical celebration in Rome during the Jubilee, the organizers said.

Read below about a church that presents the stories and relics of some from the list compiled in 2000: