Pope Leone XIV presided over a significant canonization ceremony at St. Peter's Square on Sunday, elevating seven individuals to sainthood including Venezuela's first two saints. The ceremony, marked by the ringing of bells and attended by approximately 55,000 people, saw the canonization of Venezuelan physician José Gregorio Hernández and nun Carmen Rendiles, making them the first saints from the Caribbean nation.
The Vatican ceremony featured elaborate displays honoring the new saints, with enormous portraits of all seven individuals unveiled as the American-Peruvian pope emerged from the basilica wearing ceremonial white vestments. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, read aloud the profiles of each new saint to applause from the gathered crowd before Pope Leone XIV formally declared them saints through the canonization decree.
In Venezuela, the historic moment was met with widespread celebration as thousands of people stayed awake through the night in Caracas to witness the event. The celebrations included cheers, tears, laughter, and fireworks, with many Venezuelans describing the dual canonization as particularly meaningful for a country that has experienced difficult circumstances in recent years.
The canonization group also included an Italian former "satanic priest," the first saint from Papua New Guinea, an Armenian bishop, and two Italian nuns. Pope Leone XIV described the seven new saints as "witnesses who, with God's grace, have kept the lamp of faith burning." The event marks a significant milestone for Venezuela's Catholic community, which has long venerated José Gregorio Hernández, with his relics housed at the Church of Our Lady of La Candelaria in Caracas.
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