Pope says more Christian martyrs today than in ancient times

Pope Francis. (AFP)

ROME: Pope Francis has prayed for the Coptic Christians in killed in Egypt by Islamic extremists, saying that today there are more Christian martyrs for the faith than in ancient times.
During a visit Saturday to the Italian port city of Genoa, Francis prayed “for our brothers, Egyptian Christian Copts who were killed because they did not want to renounce their faith.”
He added: “Let’s remember that there are more Christian martyrs today than in ancient times.”
The attack Friday against Christians traveling to a monastery south of Cairo killed 29 people. The attack, which took place on the eve of Ramadan, was the fourth to target Egypt’s Christian minority since December.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi blamed the attack on suspected Daesh group extremists in Libya.