On Sunday, Pope Francis presided at the Vatican for the canonisation of 14 Blesseds—11 of of whom were martyrs. Eight were Franciscans and three were lay people killed in 1860 in Syria by Druze militiamen.
The last canonisation presided over by Pope Francis was in February of this year, when he declared an Argentinean woman a saint for the first time: Mama Antula.
“Brothers and sisters, God loves us in this way and if we allow ourselves to be touched by him, we too, with the power of his Spirit, can become witnesses of the love that saves,” the pope said.
At some canonisations, familiar faces from the political sphere could be seen. For example, the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, was present, which was the first meeting between the two leaders.
By the time Sunday’s canonisation ended, Pope Francis had declared 912 people saints during his pontificate. The date of another long-awaited canonisation is expected to be announced shortly: that of the young Carlo Acutis.