Memorial for 21 Christian martyrs beheaded in Libya inaugurated
The shrine is found in the small village of Al Our, from where most of the victims came. The memorial shows the men kneeling with a large statue of Christ behind them, his arms open in an embrace of salvation. A museum that preserves the testimonies of the victims was also opened.
Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church on Saturday, 15 February, inaugurated a memorial to the Christian men beheaded in Libya five years ago to the day.
The shrine includes a large statue of Christ with his arms open as if to embrace the statues of the 21 Christian martyrs who were killed by Islamic State militants on a beach in Sirte because they refused to give up their faith.
The men, 20 from Egypt and one from Ghana, are shown kneeling, as ordered by the terrorists, who beheaded them and threw their bodies into a mass grave.
The memorial was built in Al Our, a small village in Minya province, from where many of the victims hailed.
Two years, the Coptic Church inaugurated the Cathedral of the Martyrs of Faith and the Homeland in the same village, also on 15 February, to honour the victims. Funding came from the Egyptian government.
In addition to the memorial, Bishop H. G. Bevnotious of Samalut opened a museum dedicated to the martyrs, with exhibits about the lives of the victims, from the moment of their abduction to the repatriation of their bodies to Egypt. The latter were found two years after the massacre.
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