Pope Francis has canonized 14 new saints, including a group of martyrs from Syria, in a move that could symbolize a call for peace in the war-torn region.
In a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on Sunday, the pope declared three nineteenth-century founders of religious orders and the eleven ‘Martyrs of Damascus’ as saints to be venerated by the global Catholic Church.
He commended their “lives of sacrifice, missionary zeal, and service to the Church,” reported Catholic World Report.
The canonization ceremony is one of the most significant events in the liturgical calendar, as the newly recognized saints are respected by Catholics around the world for their extraordinary virtues and what is seen as their closeness to God.
The figures selected by the pope were from various parts of the world, reflecting the diverse and global nature of the Catholic Church.
Among them were St. Manuel Ruiz López and his seven Franciscan companions, who were all martyred in Damascus in 1860, for “refusing to renounce their Christian faith,” and convert to Islam, as well as brothers Saints Francis, Mooti, and Raphael Massabki, “lay Maronite Catholics and siblings also martyred in Syria along with the Franciscans,” as reported by Catholic News Agency (CNA).
Another notable figure among the canonized saints was Blessed Mother Elena Guerra, known as an “apostle of the Holy Spirit,” who helped to “convince Pope Leo XIII to exhort all Catholics to pray a novena to the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost in 1895,” as reported by CNA.
Also among the newly declared saints was “a priest whose intercession led to the miraculous healing of a man mauled by a jaguar,” and St. Marie-Léonie Paradis, a Canadian nun from Montreal who founded an order dedicated to the service of priests, reported CNA.
The canonization mass held by the pope was not confirming them as saints but rather an important step on the way.
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Becoming a saint in the Catholic Church is a lengthy and formal process called canonization, which typically begins after a person’s death.
First, the individual’s life is investigated to determine if they lived with “heroic virtue” and demonstrated extraordinary faith and devotion. If approved, they are declared a “Servant of God.”
The next step involves verifying a miracle attributed to the person’s intercession, which must occur after their death. Upon confirmation, they are beatified and given the title “Blessed.”
A second miracle, verified after beatification, is usually required for full canonization, at which point the person is declared a saint. The Church believes these miracles are signs of the person’s presence with God, affirming their sanctity.
“These new saints lived Jesus’ way: service,” Pope Francis said in his homily, as reported by The Catholic Herald. “They made themselves servants of their brothers and sisters, creative in doing good, steadfast in difficulties, and generous to the end.”
Pope Francis’ pontificate has been marked by what is seen as his ongoing recognition of the lives of those who gave themselves in service and faith, particularly in times of violence and persecution.
The inclusion of the Syrian martyrs could be seen by some as the church’s solidarity with those suffering from war and persecution, particularly in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflicts.
As noted by Catholic World Report, the Gospel for the Mass was chanted in Greek in addition to Latin in honor of the 11 Martyrs of Damascus.
Newsweek contacted The Catholic Organization on Monday via email outside of working hours for comment.
