Pope Francis canonized this Sunday the first saint of Uruguay, the Italian-Uruguayan nun Francisca Rubatto, before thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
Source: AFP
The Argentine pontiff, dressed in sober white sacred vestments and seated due to the pain in his knee, pronounced the formula with which he proclaimed Rubatto a saint (1844-1904), who dedicated part of his life to helping the poor of several South American countries.
During the ceremony, the first in three years due to the coronavirus pandemic, another nine saints were proclaimed, including the French mystic Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), the Dutch journalist Tito Brandsma, executed in the Nazi death camp in Dachau in 1942, and Lazarus, an 18th-century Hindu martyr.
“These saints fostered social and spiritual growth, while sadly increasing tensions, wars and distances in the world. May the new saints inspire dialogue and especially the hearts and minds of those who hold positions of responsibility and are called to be protagonists of peace and not war,” the pope urged at the end of the ceremony.
During the Latin mass, with songs and litanies, the traditional Latin verse was pronounced in which it is requested that the 10 candidates be registered in the so-called Book of Saints so that they may be venerated by the Church.
It is one of the largest canonizations in history, attended by delegations from various European countries, as well as from Africa and Latin America, as well as family members and religious orders.
– “Big emotion” –
Portraits of the 10 new saints hung from the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of some 50,000 pilgrims, according to Vatican data.
Among the official delegations present on the huge esplanade, installed in the area for guests, were the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella and the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, the Dutch Chancellor, Wopke Hoekstra, as well as 50 cardinals and some 300 priests and bishops.
Considered the most secular country in Latin America, Uruguay had a delegation made up mainly of religious, including Bishop Carlos Collazzi, former president of the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay.
Pope Francis, 85, arrived by car a few meters from the altar and avoided using a wheelchair as has happened in recent days due to his walking problems.
Under a spring sun, groups of pilgrims, many of them from Italy, France, Holland and Latin America, began to fill the square early. Some of the faithful wore scarves and hats with the names and faces of the new “saints”.
“I feel great emotion to be here in Rome, with the pope and to attend the proclamation of the first Uruguayan saint who helped children and the needy, and above all for Uruguay,” Colombian Nancy Gómez told AFP, while entering the Square.
The canonization of “Mother Rubatto”, as she used to be called, will be celebrated in Uruguay with a mass in the sanctuary and another service will be held on May 29 in the Montevideo Cathedral.
Proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1993, she was recognized by the Church in 2020 for having interceded in a second miracle, which allowed her to reach the glory of the altars, as established by Vatican regulations.
