Pope Francis has canonised two 19th
Century nuns who lived in Ottoman-ruled Palestine, making them the first
Palestinian saints in modern times.
Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and
Mariam Bawardy were among four new saints declared in Rome's St Peter's Square.
The two nuns were
canonised along with two other nuns, Saints Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve
from France and Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception from Italy.
Tapestries showing St. Mariam Bawardy and St Marie Alphonsine
Ghattas who both lived in what was 19th century Palestine and
have become the first saints from the Holy Land since the early years of
Christianity
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and over 2,000 Christian pilgrims from the region attended the ceremony.
The move is seen as a token of Vatican support for dwindling Christian communities in the Middle East.
Pope Francis greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas following a
canonisation ceremony for two 19th century nuns - the first new saints
from the Holy Land since the early days of Christianity
Marie Alphonsine Ghattas, who was born in Jerusalem in 1847,
opened girls' schools, fought female illiteracy, and co-founded the
Congregation of the Sisters of the Rosary. The order today boasts dozens
of centers all over the Middle East, from Egypt to Syria, that operate
nursery schools, homes for the elderly, medical clinics and guest
houses.
Mariam Bawardy was a mystic born in 1843 in the village
of Ibilin in what is now the Galilee region of northern Israel. She is
said to have received the 'stigmata' - bleeding wounds like those that
Jesus Christ suffered on the cross - and died at the age of 33 in the
West Bank town of Bethlehem, where she had founded a Carmelite order
monastery that still exists.
Cheering crowds waved Palestinian flags and banners featuring portraits of the nuns as they cheered in the warm sunshine
Tapestries depicting the four new saints hang from the facade of St Peter's basilica during today's Papal mass
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