VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis bestowed sainthood on two Palestinian nuns May 17, a move that’s been seen as giving hope to the conflict-wracked Middle East and shining the spotlight on the plight of Christians in the region.
Sisters Maria Baouardy and Mary Alphonsine Danil Ghattas were canonized by the pontiff along with two other 19th-century nuns, Sister Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve, from France, and Italian Sister Maria Cristina dell’Immacolata.
The canonizations were described by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, as a “sign of hope” for the region.
“The canonization of these two Palestinian saints is a spiritual high point for the inhabitants of the Holy Land,” he told Vatican Insider, an online news service of Italian newspaper La Stampa.
“The fact that Mariam (Maria) and Marie (Mary) Alphonsine, the first modern Palestinian saints, are both Arabs is a sign of hope for Palestine, for the entire Holy Land and the Middle East: holiness is always possible, even in a war-torn region. May a generation of saints follow them.”
Twal traveled to the Vatican for the canonizations and invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the ceremony.
In his Easter address, the pope said, “We pray for peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis and Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of suffering and division.”
Twal had no doubt that the sainthoods would have a positive impact on the entire region.
“I am sure that it will rekindle the hope of our faithful in the Middle East … especially in these difficult times that Christians are experiencing there,” he said.
(RNS)
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