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Monday, May 18, 2015

Pope Francis canonises two Palestinian nuns Sunday May 17,2015


 


                                                                       

 
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.
A tapestry showing St Emilie de Villeneuve 
St Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception


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
A tapestries showing St. Mariam Bawardy, who along with St Marie Alphonsine Ghattas lived in what was 19th century Palestine and have become the first saints from the Holy Land since the early years of Christianity

A tapestry showing St Marie Alphonsine Ghattas hangs from a balcony of St. Peter's Basilica

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
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

Tapestries depicting the four new saints hang from the facade of St Peter's basilica during today's Papal mass

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