On February 15, ISIS released a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians. It took place on the southern Mediterranean coast. The men were kidnapped from Egypt and were called “people of the cross.†The video showed their blood flowing into the sea, as one of the killers declares, “The sea you’ve hidden Osama bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood.†After the beheadings of the hostages, it is declared by the speaker, “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission,†while pointing his knife towards the sea in the direction of Rome. Pope Francis in response to the martyrs deaths, stated:
“They only said ‘Jesus help me’…The blood of our Christian brothers is testimony that cries out. Be they Catholic, Orthodox, Copts, Lutherans, it doesn’t matter: They’re Christian!â€
The Obama administration was criticized for referring to the victims simply as “Egyptian citizens†rather than Christians, the express reason for their murder. Twenty of the 21 men were Coptic Christians. It later was announced that the 21st martyr was originally a non-Christian, but he saw the immense faith of the others, and when the terrorists asked him if he rejected Jesus, he reportedly said, “Their God is my God,†knowing he would lose his life for saying this. Almost 20 years before this attack on Christians, Our Lady was speaking of this very thing, helping to form Her children in not only how to live, but how to die as a Christian. She said on November 25, 1997:
