On Saturday, 16 November, the auditorium of the Immaculate Conception, in the convent of St Saviour in Jerusalem, hosted a symposium on the  martyrs of Damascus, who were canonized in Rome on 20 October 2024. 

The meeting, entitled “Martyrdom. A sign of journey into the faith,” was an opportunity  to reflect on the deep meaning of Christian martyrdom, in the light of the testimony given by the Franciscan martyrs of Damascus.

The speakers approached the topic of martyrdom from different perspectives. Fra Alessandro Coniglio, a lecturer at the Studium Bilicum Franciscanum, explored the biblical roots of martyrdom. Fra Ulisse Zarza, deputy postulator of the causes of saints of the Custody of the Holy Land, examined in depth the ecclesiastical dimension of martyrdom, while Fra Narciso Klimas, director of the archive of the Custody, reconstructed the historical context which led to the martyrdom of the friars and the Maronite laymen in Damascus in 1860.

Martyrdom according to St. Francis

In his contribution, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, offered a reflection on the meaning of martyrdom in Franciscan life, emphasizing how the total gift of the self is a distinctive feature of the follower of St Francis. The Custos said, “According to St Francis, martyrdom is the horizon of Christian life. Francis does not say that we have to confess to being religious, but confess being Christians. Martyrdom is the gift of life to bear witness to our love for Jesus, therefore it is the horizon of our life.”

The martyrs of Damascus: a sign of faith

The martyrs of Damascus were a great example of faith and love for the Franciscan vocation. This is the starting point for the importance of celebrating and remembering their story. 

Fr. Marwan Di’Des, member of the organizing committee of the symposium, underscored the importance of remembering  the martyrs of Damascus today: “The martyrs of Damascus were martyred in a situation of great uprising and chaos when the whole of the Christian quarter was sacked. The Franciscan martyrs had the chance to flee, but they refused, preferring to remain alongside the people. This was the service of the Franciscans in the Holy Land. Our mission is linked to these Places and we remain here today following  the example of the martyrs of Damascus.”

The symposium thus had the aim of making the subject of martyrdom known from a Christian perspective. Fra Marwan concluded: “Christian martyrdom is the image of Jesus Christ who is the martyr par excellence. We Christians also have to be faithful to God and to our faith even at the cost of offering our blood. Not out of love for violence but out of our love for Jesus Christ.