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Vatican approves 27 new martyrs

Pope John Paul II
The Vatican, headed by Pope John Paul II, has named 27 new martyrs  

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican has proclaimed an Armenian bishop and 26 Ukrainians as martyrs, in what is the first step towards beatification and possible sainthood.

Bishop Ignazio Choukrallah Maloyan, archbishop of the Armenian church in Mardin, Turkey, was killed in 1915.

The recognition came as Armenians commemorated the deaths of 1.5 million of their countrymen who they say were killed as part of a campaign by the Ottoman Empire to force them out of eastern Turkey.

Turkey claims the death toll was much lower and that Armenians were killed or displaced as the empire tried to quell unrest.

The Vatican's citation said the Armenian church had been "devastated by a violent persecution that took numerous victims" including clergy and faithful but added that it was a coincidence the announcement was made as Armenians marked the deaths.

The Vatican said the Ukrainians -- eight bishops, 14 priests, three nuns and a layman -- died during anti-church campaigns by the country's former Communist rulers following World War II.



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