During a meeting with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II on Thursday at the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his desire for deeper Christian unity.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Joint Christological Declaration, a turning point in ties between the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches, the Patriarch of the See of St. Mark has spent the past three days in Rome.

Pope Francis stated in the address that the Roman Martyrology would be updated to include 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs as a symbol of the spiritual unity that binds the two churches.

The 21 Coptic Christians, 20 of whom were Egyptian and one from Ghana, were beheaded by members of the so-called Islamic State in Libya in 2015. The men were captured on camera praying as they died away by the terrorist group.

On February 15, which is also the anniversary of their martyrdom, the Coptic Orthodox Church observes their feast day.

Pope Francis expressed his sincere gratitude to Pope Tawadros for giving him a reliquary of the Coptic martyrs during their audience.

According to Pope Francis, these victims were baptized in blood as well as in water and the spirit, and that blood represents the seed of unity for all Christ-followers.

Four Steps Towards Christian Unity
Later on Thursday, the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity hosted a press conference by Pope Tawadros II.

He revealed to reporters that the martyrs' remains were unearthed and sent to Egypt in 2018. In El-Aour, the majority of the men's hometown, the Coptic Church erected a place of worship in their honor.

According to Pope Tawadros, they continue to frequently ask for the prayers of the martyrs and think that they are still receiving enormous blessings from them. He encouraged Catholics to also ask for their intercession.

The Coptic Pope pointed to the figures shown on a cross he had presented while in Rome and outlined four steps to be taken in the direction of reconciliation and Christian unity.

The first phase, according to Pope Tawadros, is the expression of fraternity in Christ through group activities. The study of customs, sacraments, and everything related to the Churches is part of the second step, he noted, which is fostering mutual understanding.

The third step, according to him, entails liturgical and informal discussion, including discussion between young people and clergy from the two churches. Prayer, which has the power to perform miracles, is the fourth step.

The Coptic Pope claims that after completing these four phases, a person arrives at the heart of Christ, which is a lengthy process. But we feel that the Holy Spirit is accompanying us on this journey.

Inclusion of Non-Catholic Saints Not New
The inclusion of non-Catholic Christians in Roman Martyrology is not new.

The Catholic list of saints was expanded in 2001 to include several Orthodox saints who lived after the division of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in 1054.

Theodosius and Anthony of Peerska from the eleventh century, Stephen of Perm and Sergius of Radonezh from the fourteenth century, and other Slavic saints are among them.