Tens of thousands of Roman Catholic faithful flocked to this far
northeastern city for a ceremony that puts a Brazilian nun known as
Sister Dulce on the path to sainthood.
Some 70,000 people were in
Salvador for the event, including President Dilma Rousseff and some 500
Roman Catholic priests and nuns.
The ceremony, carried out in the
church of Our Lady of Hope, was led by Brazilian Cardinal Dom Geraldo
Majella Agnelo in representation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Born Maria
Rita de Souza Brito Lopes Pontes, Irma Dulce -- or Sister Dulce --
founded a charity group that provides health, welfare and education for
the poor in the state of Bahia.
Pope Benedict signed decree
beatifying Sister Dulce in December 2010, after he ruled that the late
nun was responsible for a miracle during a high-risk birth in 2001.
Beatification
is the third of four steps leading to sainthood.
In the Catholic Church
the canonization process -- the process that leads to sainthood -- can
take years, sometimes centuries.
A proven miracle is needed for the last
two stages.
Irma Dulce, also known as "The Angel of Bahia," died in 1992 at the age of 78.
In heavily Catholic Brazil, the beatification event was broadcast live on television.