2015-02-24 13:52:00

Coptic bishop: great witness, exemplary faith of martyrs


(Vatican Radio) The 21 Coptic Christians slaughtered by members of the so-called “Islamic State” in Libya, have been officially recognized as martyrs – a fact that ought to give Christians everywhere both hope, and a sense of pause: hope, because their witness of faith is an ever-present reminder of Christ’s victory; pause, because a misplaced enthusiasm could hurt the cause of the very gospel for which they gave their lives. That is according to Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, in an exclusive interview with Vatican Radio. “I think there are two extreme scenarios we must be wary of,” explained Bishop Angaelos. “The first is despair,” he continued, “as Christians, we don’t despair: we’ve been facing persecution for 2 thousand years, and by God’s grace, we’ve lived through it.” He went on to say, “We continue to witness by God’s presence in our lives and by our presence as His light in the world.”

Click below to hear Bishop Angaelos' extended conversation with Chris Altieri

Bishop Angaelos cautioned against allowing a too facile sense of triumph creep in and overshadow our primary mission, which is to be ambassadors of Christ. “The other extreme, of which I am a little more wary at the moment, and that I hope we address, is a sense of ungracious triumphalism,” he explained. “Sometimes we look at things such as these brutal killings,” continued Bishop Angaelos, “and we see the great witness of these very faithful men, but then become triumphalist – which in itself, could become offensive to the world.” Bishop Angaelos went on to say, “If we follow the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was powerful and gracious both at the most powerful and victorious times of His resurrection, but also at the most apparently – in the eyes of the world – weak times of His crucifixion, we have to hold that balance, and keep Him as the main example of our lives and our witness today.” 








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