At long last, more than 3-years after
they were kidnapped, the bodies of 20-Coptic Christians who were beheaded by
Islamic State (IS) terror group militants in February 2015 have finally been laid
to rest in Egypt’s Minya province.
“Everyone stood beside the martyr that
belongs to him and cried a little, but they were tears of longing, nothing
more,” said Bishri Ibrahim, father of Kerolos, one of the victims. “But we are happy and joyful that they have
returned to the village. This is a
blessing for the country and to all Copts all over the world,” he added.
Reuters reported on Tuesday
that the funeral service at a church in the village of al-Our in Minya province
was made possible after Libya finally flew back the remains of the believers
earlier this week. The victims, 20-Egyptian
Copts and one Ghanaian Christian, appeared in an IS video in 2015 lined up on a
Libyan beach in orange jumpsuits, before they were executed. They reportedly were asked to renounce their
faith in Christ to save their lives, but refused to do so.
“I wanted to see Milad come back from
Libya on his feet after his struggle and hard work to earn a living in a harsh
life abroad,” said 55-year-old Zaki Hanna, the father of one of the victims. “But thanks be to God, he died a hero, did
not beg anyone to spare his life and he and his brothers, the martyrs, did not
abandon their faith or homeland.”
The victims have been declared martyrs
of the Christian faith, with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi himself
ordering the construction of The Church of the Martyrs of Faith and Homeland in
their honor.
Bashir Estephanos, whose two younger
brothers were killed by IS in Libya, said that Christians in al-Our village had
been praying to be able to bury their loved ones. “Our prayers were answered, so thanks be to
God from the bottom of our hearts,” Estephanos said.
Children of the Coptic Christians have
said that they are “proud” of the courage shown by their fathers.
Jim Daly, president of Focus on the
Family, which has been assisting the families of the murdered men in Egypt,
said in June 2017 that staff has personally visited the bereaved families. “We met with some of the wives of the martyrs
and asked them about their kids and how they live right now, a common answer
was, ‘Our kids in their new nice private school have been so proud of their
fathers among their friends and they have worked hard to match with studying
the new curriculums to stay up to that new level of education,’” Daly shared at
the time.
Christians were relieved after it was
reported in October 2017 that Libyan authorities found the remains of the
Christians. “Our Lord chose the right
time for the appearance and return of the remains of the martyrs after the
completion of the building of the Church of the Martyrs of Libya to receive the
blessed bodies of the martyrs to be placed at the new church in the village,”
Father Makar Issa, a priest at The Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt,
told International Christian Concern at the time.
My memory cannot erase the image of my
Christian brothers lined up on that Libyan beach in orange jumpsuits, knelling
below their IS executioners. Thank God
for the return of their remains and the respectful homage being paid to them.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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