POPE Benedict XVI gave Australia its
first saint Sunday, but five other saints were also recognised in a mass
attended by tens of thousands of people.
Speaking in Latin on the steps of St Peter's Basilica, the Pope
solemnly read out the names of the six new saints, declaring each one
worthy of veneration in all the Catholic Church.
"Let us be drawn by these shining examples, let us be guided by their teachings," he said.
The Pope's homily was delivered in English, French, Italian, Polish and Spanish to reflect the languages spoken by the church's newest saints.
Australians in the crowd cheered when the name of Mary MacKillop, the nation's first saint, was announced earlier in the Mass.
Quebec's flag was also out in force in St Peter's Square in support of Brother Andre Bessette, a Canadian brother who legend says healed thousands of sick who prayed with him at his Montreal oratory.
Born in 1845, Brother Andre was orphaned at the age of 12. After taking his religious vows, he devoted his life to helping others and gained a reputation as a healer.
When Brother Andre died in 1937 at the age of 91, an estimated one million people came to pay homage.
The Pope noted that Brother Andre was poorly educated but nevertheless understood what
was essential to his faith.
"Doorman at the Notre Dame College in Montreal, he showed boundless charity and did everything possible to soothe the despair of those who confided in him," he said, in French.
"I think all the people from Quebec are happy now," said Alain Pilote, a 49-year-old pilgrim from Rougemont, near Montreal, who came to Rome for the Mass.
Also canonised Sunday were Italian nuns Giulia Salzano and Battista Camilla da Varano, and Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola of Spain.
SIC: NZH/AUS