Vatican City, Feb 18, 2012 / 14:30 pm
Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he will canonize seven new saints, including two related to the U.S., this coming October.
The news that the Church will have seven new saints was officially made public Feb. 18 at St. Peter’s Basilica, following a ceremony in which Pope Benedict created 22 new cardinals.
“I think it’s a great day, and to see Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, what a joy for our country and what a great model she is for our people,” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C. remarked to CNA after the ceremony.
“And then to have two new cardinals as well among the College of Cardinals – it’s a very happy day for the Church in the United States,” he added.
The list of the seven people who will be declared saints ranges from a Filipino layman to European founders of religious orders to the first Native American.