Seven new saints were canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sunday at a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The canonizations were previously approved by the late Pope Francis.
Who are the new saints?
Among the seven new saints are four men and three women, who were nuns.
One of them, Bartolo Longo, was an Italian priest who grew up in a Catholic household but later became an atheist and a Satanist.
He later converted and returned to Catholicism, where he dedicated his life as an advocate for social justice and promoting the rosary.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul in 1980 and was called the “Apostle of the Rosary.”
Maria Troncatti, from Ecuador, helped the country’s indigenous people as a missionary in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest where she spent almost 50 years.
She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
Italian Vincenza Maria Poloni was also among the new saints.
She cared for the sick in hospitals and co-founded Sisters of Mercy of Verona.
She was beatified in 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Maria Carmen Rendiles became Venezuela’s first female saint.
Born without a left arm, she founded the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus.
She was beatified by Pope Francis in 2018.
Also from Venezuela, Jose Gregorio Hernandez was a layman, whom the late Pope Francis called a “doctor close to the weakest.”
He was beatified by Pope Francis in 2021.
Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan is an Armenian archbishop of Mardin.
He was executed during the Armenian genocide for refusing to convert to Islam and renounce his Christian faith. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
A lay catechist from Papua New Guinea, Peter To Rot, became the country’s first saint.
He was killed by lethal injection during World War II and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
READ ALSO: https://newsjustnews.com/international-news-two-italians-canonized-by-pope-leo-xiv/
The Pope’s past canonizations
Just last month, the Pope proclaimed Carlo Acutis, known as “God’s Influencer” who spread the faith online before his death at age 15 in 2006.
He was beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis.
He also canonised Pier Giorgio Frassati, known as the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” and died aged 24.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
Process of canonization
To be canonized in the Roman Catholic Church, it is required that a person must have lived a life of “heroic virtue.”
They must also have performed at least one verified miracle if they are a martyr, or a person who chose to suffer death rather than deny his faith.
Otherwise, at least two verified miracles are required.
The first step in the process of canonization is to file a formal request for a canonization at least five years after the person’s death.
It is usually filed by the candidate’s church or religious community.
If a person passes this step, they are called a “servant of God.”
The bishop, after determining that there is sufficient evidence to consider the individual for sainthood, sends an official report and request to Rome for evaluation by the Congregation for investigation of the person’s life.
Once they pass this step, they are declared “Venerable.” Next is beatification.
If the person is a martyr, they may be beatified without further investigation.
Otherwise, the person must have a postmortem miracle that is verified by the Congregation. The person will then be called “Blessed.”
Lastly, another miracle is needed which must be a result of the person’s intercession. They will then be called “Saint.”
READ NEXT: https://newsjustnews.com/muslim-scholars-granted-prayer-room-in-the-vatican/
Adam Peaker 
Hyacinth Estrada 
Ian Trinidad