Pope Francis has decided to canonize Blessed Ignatius Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian Genocide, Vatican News reported on March 28.

Two other religious figures will also be canonized: a lay Catholic killed in Papua New Guinea during World War II and a Venezuelan nun who dedicated her life to education and serving the poor.

Blessed Ignatius Shoukrallah Maloyan was born on April 19, 1869, in the city of Mardin, located in present-day Turkey. At age 14, he joined the monastic community of Bzommar in Lebanon and was ordained in 1896, taking the name Ignatius.

His missionary work stood out in Alexandria, where he preached in both Arabic and Turkish. He later served as the Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo but returned to Alexandria due to deteriorating eyesight. In 1911, he was appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Mardin.

During the Armenian Genocide, he was arrested along with dozens of Christians and brought before a court. When offered the chance to save his life by converting to Islam, Ignatius Shoukrallah Maloyan refused.

“We have never betrayed the state... but if you ask us to betray our religion, that will never happen,” he reportedly declared.

Shortly after, he was tortured and executed. In 2001, Pope John Paul II declared him Blessed.