THE author of Ecumenism of Blood: Heavenly hope for earthly communion, Hugh Somerville Knapman OSB, of Douai Abbey, proposes that martyrdom “can enhance Christian solidarity and contribute to rebuilding the unity of the Body of Christ”, and that this has consequences for the recognition by Rome of martyrs of other confessions as being in perfect communion in heaven with the Church on earth. The Coptic martyrs of Libya are at the heart of this book, but the discussion ranges more widely, while the title echoes a phrase used by Pope Francis (Paulist Press, £13.99 (£12.60); 978-0-8091-5371-8).