800+ new Saints today
I am liking this new Pope. From
My Way/Associated Press:
Pope Francis gives church hundreds of new saints
Pope Francis on Sunday gave the Catholic church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square.
The "Martyrs of Otranto" were 813 Italians who were slain in the southern Italian city in 1480 for defying demands by Turkish invaders who overran the citadel to renounce Christianity.
And he did not overlook Latin America:
The first pontiff from South America also gave Colombia its first saint: a nun who toiled as a teacher and spiritual guide to indigenous people in the 20th century.
With Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos among the VIPS, the Argentine pope held out Laura of St. Catherine of Siena Montoya y Upegui as a potential source of inspiration to the country's peace process, attempted after decades-long conflict between rebels and government forces.
Francis prayed that "Colombia's beloved children continue to work for peace and just development of the country."
He also canonized another Latin American woman. Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, a Mexican who dedicated herself to nursing the sick, helped Catholics avoid persecution during a government crackdown of the faith in the 1920s.
Good. I love his stance on Islam. The Christian Church has certainly had its share of violence but we have reformed. The Islamic leaders need to call for this as well.
Posted by DaveH at May 12, 2013 1:29 PM