For centuries, pilgrims came to Assisi to walk in the footsteps of a saint who preached to birds, embraced poverty, and wandered the hills barefoot. But today, many arrive in search of a different model of holiness: that of a teenager in Nike sneakers who built websites and coded for Christ.
Canonization
Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of three blesseds: an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during World War II, and a Venezuelan religious sister who dedicated her life to education and the poor.
Despite a few high-profile delays in recent years, the canonization of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen — the popular, scholarly archbishop and 20th-century pioneer of Catholic broadcasting — is “inevitable,” said the head of the foundation supporting his cause.
Pope Francis announced that he will canonize Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati next year and that the Vatican will host a world meeting on the rights of the child Feb. 3.
Pope Francis called on the faithful to yearn to serve, not thirst for power, as he proclaimed 14 new saints, including Canada-born St. Marie-Léonie Paradis, founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, and 11 martyrs.