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Pope honors 21st century martyrs: Christians killed by Islamic militants, mafias, Amazon ranchers

On September 14, 2025, Pope Leo XIV led an ecumenical prayer service in Rome honoring new Christian martyrs killed over the past 25 years for their faith worldwide.
The Vatican established a study commission in 2023 to document over 1,600 martyrdom cases reported by church groups across continents, distinct from sainthood processes.
The service united Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant leaders from over 30 denominations, recalling victims such as Sister Dorothy Stang, killed in 2005 defending Amazon settlers.
Pope Leo emphasized that the sacrifice of Christian martyrs helps advance the Gospel message and expressed sorrow that persecution has intensified even after the fall of 20th-century dictatorships.
The event reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to remember all Christians killed for their faith regardless of denomination, emphasizing unity through the 'ecumenism of blood.

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Leo Xiv Homage Hundreds of Christians Who Died in the 21st Century

Among the victims, there are cases of Christians killed by Islamic soldiers, mafia groups or farmers in the Amazon, involved in the defence of the tropical forest and the poor.

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Modern Christian martyrs show power of love in face of hatred, pope says

ROME (CNS) — In situations where “hatred seemed to have permeated every aspect of life,” modern Christian martyrs showed that love is stronger than death, Pope Leo XIV said at an ecumenical prayer service. The prayer service Sept. 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, commemorated 1,624 Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants who died for their faith between 2000 and 2025. During the Holy Year 2000, St. John Paul II had led a simi…

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