By Charles Igwe
In a historic ceremony at St. Peter’s Square on October 19, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized seven new saints of the Catholic Church, drawing an estimated 70,000 faithful from around the world. The solemn Mass marked a major moment in the Church’s ongoing mission to honor lives of heroic virtue, deep faith, and service to humanity.
Among those declared saints were two Venezuelans — José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, affectionately known as the “doctor of the poor,” and María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez, a religious sister and founder of a congregation devoted to charitable service. Their canonization made them the first saints from Venezuela, an occasion that drew special pride and celebration among Venezuelan Catholics.
Also included was Peter To Rot, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea who was martyred during World War II for defending Christian marriage and moral truth. His canonization made him the first saint from Papua New Guinea, marking a milestone in the Church’s global witness.
The other new saints included Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic prelate martyred during the Armenian genocide; Bartolo Longo, an Italian lawyer who converted from a life of spiritual darkness to become a passionate promoter of the Rosary; Vincenza Maria Poloni, an Italian religious founder known for her lifelong service to the poor; and Maria Troncatti, a Salesian missionary nurse who ministered among Indigenous communities in Ecuador’s Amazon region.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV described the newly canonized as “luminous witnesses” who “kept alight the lamp of faith in dark times.” He urged Christians to draw inspiration from their lives and remember that sainthood is not reserved for a few but is the universal calling of all believers. “Each of these saints lived holiness in their own way — as doctors, missionaries, lay catechists, and pastors — reminding us that sanctity is possible in every vocation,” the Pope said.
The ceremony, marked by pulsating cultural displays and prayers in multiple languages, underscored the universality of the Church. With saints now hailing from Venezuela and Papua New Guinea for the first time, the canonizations reflected the growing diversity of Catholic holiness across continents.
Observers noted that the event highlighted a blend of ancient and modern examples of sainthood — from martyrs who died for their faith to laypeople and missionaries who embodied Christian love through service and sacrifice.
In his closing prayer, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to carry forward the spirit of the new saints by living out their own faith with courage and compassion. “These men and women remind us,” he said, “that holiness is not a dream, but a daily choice — a path of love that transforms the world.”
