Pope León XIV presided over the canonization of seven new saints during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square on World Mission Sunday. The newly recognized saints include Ignacio Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic archbishop and martyr; Peter To Rot, the first saint from Papua New Guinea; Vincenza Maria Poloni; María Carmen Rendiles Martínez; María Troncatti; José Gregorio Hernández; and Bartolo Longo. The pontiff emphasized that these individuals represented authentic men and women who maintained their faith through various trials and sufferings.
In his homily, Pope León XIV highlighted faith as the most precious gift in God's eyes, describing it as a "burning lamp" that sustains both the Church and the world. He warned that without faith, the world risks descending into nothingness, and stressed that authentic prayer maintains the bond of trust with God. The Pope presented the new saints as witnesses of hope and love, offering concrete examples of how to live the Gospel in contexts of persecution, illness, mission work, and service to the poor.
The canonization ceremony took place on the penultimate Sunday of October, when the Catholic Church traditionally prays for missionaries and their efforts in evangelization, education, healthcare, and other ministries. Pope León XIV noted that God is present wherever the innocent suffer and that divine justice manifests as forgiveness. He challenged Christians to examine whether they respond with love when hearing cries for help from those experiencing difficulties.
Following the celebration, the Pope thanked civil and religious authorities present, particularly those from Armenia and Lebanon. He also addressed the situation in Myanmar, expressing concern about continued armed clashes and airstrikes targeting civilians and infrastructure. The pontiff renewed his call for an immediate and effective ceasefire while offering prayers for the Holy Land and Ukraine, invoking a "just and lasting peace" for conflict-affected regions.
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