Pope Francis canonises two Palestinian nuns

Pope Francis has canonized Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Mariam Bawardy from Palestine.
The canonization ceremony was held in Vatican’s St Peter’s Square and was attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and over 2,000 Christian pilgrims from the region.
Both of them are 19th Century nuns who lived in Ottoman-ruled Palestine. They are also are the first Arabic-speaking Catholic saints to Canonized.
Sister Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas was founder of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem and Maryam Baouardy had founded a Carmelite convent in Bethlehem. It should be noted that this move is seen as a token of Vatican support for dwindling Christian communities in the Middle East.
Note: Cannonisation is the act by which the Catholic Church or Eastern Orthodox Church declares a deceased person as a saint. After canonization the person acquires the title of Saint.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2015