"I was surprised in being appointed for this role. For a moment I even thought I had been confused with someone else. Then, on carefully re-reading about my appointment and the related news, I was overwhelmed with deep joy and gratitude."   - Sr Nadia Coppa, ASC

Established by Pope Francis in view of the 2025 Jubilee, the list of members of the Commission of the New Martyrs - Witnesses of the Faith has just been published.

Sr Nadia Coppa, ASC, President of UISG, has been appointed member of the Commission of the New Martyrs - Witnesses of the Faith, together with 9 other people, including the President of the Union of Superiors General (USG), Fr Arturo Sosa, sj.

Already serving as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro is going to be the Prefect of the above-mentioned Commission. The President of the Commission is Monsignor Fabio Fabene, secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints; the Commission’s vice-president is Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Italian Comunità di Sant'Egidio, whereas Monsignor Marco Gnavi, parish priest of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and former secretary of the "New Martyrs" Commission for the Great Jubilee of 2000, will serve as the Commission’s secretary. 

We reached Sr Nadia by telephone, and this is how she commented about her appointment: "I was surprised in being appointed for this role. For a moment I even thought I had been confused with someone else. Then, on carefully re-reading about my appointment and the related news, I was overwhelmed with deep joy and gratitude.  The Commission of the New Martyrs - Witnesses of the Faith, established by Pope Francis on July 5th at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, is undoubtedly a further gift to the Church."

She goes on sharing about the importance of Martyrs in our time, and about the significance of Martyrs for her and her charism, being an Adorer of the Blood of Christ: "Martyrs are witnesses of hope and in this historical time, more than in others, we need to rekindle hope. Hope is the little virtue, but also the one which supports and encourages our journey, because it gives us the certainty of good defeating evil. Collecting the testimonies of the sisters and brothers, of all Christian denominations, who have given their lives to the extreme means preserving and safeguarding the precious treasure of their shed blood, that makes our Church fruitful. Martyrdom is the climax of the path of Christian charity. I feel deep emotion when thinking that I will discover the testimonies of brothers and sisters who have been driven to sacrifice themselves by an extreme and powerful love... by the evangelical radicalism that has now made them credible and capable of enlightening our paths. I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given to offer my contribution within this Commission. Martyrs are the most trustworthy witnesses of the Gospel and, as an Adorer of the Blood of Christ, I deeply believe in the "ecumenism of blood"... Nowadays, the phenomenon of persecution has taken on so many different forms, and the memory of martyrs can unite us, because the blood that had been shed for our faith makes us one body. Through the shared memory of Martyrs, we can help each other overcome confessional barriers, acknowledging each other’s value and walking together as brothers and sisters."

UISG expresses its joy at Sr. Nadia’s appointment, and we wish her a fruitful mission in this ecclesial, synodal, and jubilee journey to which Pope Francis is inviting so many religious men and women.

UISG Communications Office