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POPE FRANCIS GIVES CATHOLIC CHURCH NEW SAINTS
Pope Francis gives Catholic church new saints May 12, 2013 - 15:56
AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net- Pope Francis on Sunday, May 12 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,
Associated Press reported.
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.
Their approval for sainthood was decided upon by Francis'
predecessor, Benedict XVI, in a decree read at the ceremony in
February where the former pontiff announced his retirement.
Shortly after his election in March, Francis called for more dialogue
with Islam, and it was unclear how the granting of sainthood to the
martyrs would be received. Islam is a sensitive subject for the
church, and Benedict stumbled significantly in his relations with
Muslims.
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."
Pope Francis gives Catholic church new saints May 12, 2013 - 15:56
AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net- Pope Francis on Sunday, May 12 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,
Associated Press reported.
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.
Their approval for sainthood was decided upon by Francis'
predecessor, Benedict XVI, in a decree read at the ceremony in
February where the former pontiff announced his retirement.
Shortly after his election in March, Francis called for more dialogue
with Islam, and it was unclear how the granting of sainthood to the
martyrs would be received. Islam is a sensitive subject for the
church, and Benedict stumbled significantly in his relations with
Muslims.
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."