WELCOME! TODAY'S NEW SAINTS Pope Leo XVI today canonised seven new saints, three women and four men, in a celebration that drew tens of thousands to St Peter’s Square. The canonisations were formally announced earlier this year and confirmed by decrees approved by the late Pope Francis. The group includes two martyrs, three laypeople, and two founders of religious congregations. Among them are the first saint from Papua New Guinea and the first two from Venezuela, marking a historic moment for the Church’s growing presence outside Europe. The Holy See’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints verified the required miracles and martyrdoms, paving the way for their canonisation after decades of devotion in their home countries. The ceremony followed the rite of canonisation, with the solemn declaration of sainthood made in Latin before a packed Saint Peter’s Square. Among them is Bartolo Longo , the Italian lawyer whose dramatic conversion from atheism and the occult to de...