At the solemn mass presented in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father announced that new figures of the world church will be among the saints.
During his pontificate, this is the fourth time that the bishop of Rome has performed a canonization ceremony during the synod. During the Sunday morning mass, fourteen red draperies decorated the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, on which the faces of the figures who will be included in the ranks of the saints can be seen.
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the canonization dicastery, together with the postulators, presented to Pope Francis the blessed ones, who from today the church honors them among the saints.
Three of them are founders of religious movements: blessed missionary father Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Mission Institutes, Sister Elena Guerra from the city of Lucca, founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family and founder of the Congregation of the Oblates of Marie-Léonie Paradis.
Brother Ruiz Lopez and ten martyrs, Franciscan fathers and laymen who died as martyrs in Damascus in 1860 were also canonized.
Then, on the night of July 9 to 10, a group of Druze militiamen coming from Lebanon and heading to Syria attacked the Franciscan church and monastery of St. Paul and massacred eight Franciscan monks along with three Maronite Christian brothers.
Pope Francis called the new saints the apostles of the Gospel, who were faithful servants during the adversities of humanity and who served the Church with joy until their martyrdom.
The new saints of the church carried the spirituality of Christ and served in its spirit. Their faith and apostolate did not incite worldly desires or the desire for power in them. On the contrary. They became servants of their brothers, they did good, they were steadfast even in the midst of difficulties, and they remained generous throughout - Pope Francis praised the new saints of the church in his homily.
Cover photo: Pope Francis
Source: Facebook/Vatican News
