Vatican Declares Armenian Bishop Martyred During Ottoman Persecution a Saint

Pope Leo XIV leads the canonization wide of 7 caller saints astatine St. Peter’s Square successful the Vatican. Credit: Massimo Percossi / EPA via AMNA

Under wide autumn skies astatine St. Peter’s Square connected October 19, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized Saint Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan, the Armenian bishop executed during the 1915 persecution of Christians successful the Ottoman Empire. The ceremony, attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims, fulfilled the decree of canonization antecedently approved by the precocious Pope Francis.

Ignatius Maloyan was 1 of 7 caller saints proclaimed by the Vatican that day—along with Peter To Rot, Vincenza Maria Poloni, Maria del Monte Carmelo Rendiles Martínez, Maria Troncatti, José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, and Bartolo Longo—each bearing a communicative of religion that transcends geography, culture, and time.

Armenian Bishop Ignatius Maloyan: From the Monastery of Bzommar to the Cross of Mardin

Saint Ignatius Maloyan. Public Domain

Born Shukrallah Melkon successful Mardin successful 1869, Maloyan entered the Armenian Catholic Monastery of Bzommar successful Lebanon astatine conscionable fourteen years old. There, helium immersed himself successful theology, philosophy, and languages, mastering Armenian, Arabic, Turkish, French, and Italian. Ordained successful 1896 and adopting the sanction Ignatius, helium went connected to service successful Egypt and Constantinople earlier being consecrated Bishop of Mardin successful 1911.

His pastoral enactment coincided with the unfolding of the Metz Yeghern, oregon Great Evil, the systematic persecution and deportation of Armenians and different Christians successful the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Despite the rising threat, Maloyan refused to wantonness his people, choosing to stay successful Mardin to attraction for his community.

Faithful be the canonization wide of 7 caller saints led by Pope Leo XIV successful St. Peter’s Square, successful the Vatican. Credit: Massimo Percossi / EPA via AMNA

Tortured, deported, martyred

By the outpouring of 1915, Maloyan foresaw the catastrophe approaching his city. He gathered his priests and delivered a spiritual testament, urging them to stay steadfast adjacent if decease awaited them. Soon after, agents of the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) accused the bishop of hiding weapons—a fabricated pretext to destruct the region’s Christian leadership.

On June 3, 1915, helium was arrested, interrogated, and subjected to brutal torture. Survivors aboriginal testified helium was beaten and mutilated yet refused each connection to renounce his faith. When allowed a last farewell, helium asked his parent to bring him shoes 2 sizes larger—not for comfortableness but to conceal the wounds connected his feet caused by repeated beatings.

A week later, connected June 11, 1915, Maloyan and much than 4 100 Armenians and Syriacs, including priests and nuns, were forced onto a convoy toward Diyarbakir. Along the way, helium continued to commune and console those beside him. That aforesaid day, helium was executed by an Ottoman officer. He was 46 years old.

The Great Evil and the triumph of virtue

Between 1894 and 1923, arsenic galore arsenic 2 cardinal Armenians, Syriacs, and Greeks perished. Yet their nations endured and rebuilt—many survivors uncovering refuge successful Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and adjacent parts of Arabia, wherever compassion outweighed politics.

Historians person often described the calamity arsenic a nonaccomplishment of the large powers—nations that chose expedience implicit humanity. Maloyan, however, understood that powerfulness and justness seldom coexist successful the realm of politics. He refused to betray his conscience oregon the religion of his people. In a satellite torn by violence, helium chose fidelity implicit fear.

Like countless martyrs earlier him, Maloyan’s absorption revealed that motivation spot tin decision cruelty. The persecutors sought to soundlessness him, yet his soundlessness resounded louder than their threats. His decease became a grounds that evil, nary substance however forceful, yet collapses nether the value of truth.

Portraits of the 7 caller saints whom Pope Leo XIV volition canonize are displayed connected the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica up of the canonization ceremonial successful the Vatican. Credit: Massimo Percossi / EPA via AMNA

Ignatius Maloyan’s martyrdom and sainthood

Pope John Paul II beatified Ignatius Maloyan successful 2001, recognizing his sacrifice arsenic martyrdom “in hatred of the faith.” His canonization by Pope Leo XIV enshrines him among the saints of the cosmopolitan Church—a shepherd who stood steadfast arsenic his radical faced annihilation and who died proclaiming religion successful the look of brutality.

At the Thanksgiving Mass pursuing the canonization astatine the Vatican, the Armenian Catholic Patriarch described Saint Ignatius arsenic “a airy that did not spell out, adjacent erstwhile the acheronian fell upon a nation.” Pilgrims from Armenia, Lebanon, and crossed the satellite gathered successful prayer, honoring a antheral whose courageousness transformed suffering into witness.

Enduring bequest of religion of Ignatius Maloyan, declared a saint by the Vatican

Today, Saint Ignatius Maloyan stands arsenic a awesome of absorption to tyranny and fidelity to faith. His canonization offers not lone a infinitesimal of pridefulness for Armenians but besides a cosmopolitan telephone to conscience successful an property inactive scarred by persecution.

As Pope Leo XIV declared during the canonization Mass:

“Where hatred sought to soundlessness love, emotion endured—and emotion is eternal.”

Through his unshakable religion and motivation courage, Ignatius Maloyan proved that adjacent successful the look of unspeakable evil, the quality spirit, illuminated by grace, remains unconquerable.