TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Francis has canonized two 19th Century nuns who lived in Ottoman-ruled Palestine, making them the first Palestinian saints in modern times.
Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Mariam Bawardy were among four new saints declared in Rome's St Peter's Square.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and over 2,000 Christian pilgrims from the region attended the ceremony.
The move is seen as a token of Vatican support for dwindling Christian communities in the Middle East.
On Saturday, Pope Francis met Mr Abbas at the Vatican, calling him "an angel of peace".
The promotion by Pope Francis to sainthood of these two women, born in Palestine when it was under Ottoman rule in the 19th Century, speaks volumes about his commitment to revitalizing the diminishing Christian presence in the Middle East.
There was a large contingent of Arab Christians present in Saint Peter's Square for the ceremony, together with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and also a delegation from Israel.
Over the past year Arabic has been added to the five main languages used in Vatican information bulletins, and a new Vatican handbook in Arabic has just been published.
Veneration of the two new Palestinian saints will now be encouraged by the Vatican among Catholics around the world, not just in the Middle East.
Both are reputed to have performed miracles, according to research by church authorities.
BBC | MARIA RITA
