Pope Leo XIV celebrated the canonization of seven new saints on Sunday in front of more than 70,000 people in the Vatican. The ceremony marked Leo’s second major sainthood announcement since he took office in May.
One of the most surprising inductees is Bartolo Longo, an Italian lawyer who once served as a high‑ranking priest in a Satanic cult. After losing his mother at a young age, Bartolo drifted away from the Catholic Church and joined the occult. He later returned to Catholicism, renewed his faith, and helped found the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii.
Longo died in 1926 at 85, and the Vatican now officially recognizes him as saintly. His story inspires people who wrestle with doubt or stray from their faith.
Other inductees include:
- An archbishop who was killed during the Armenian genocide,
- A lay catechist from Papua New Guinea,
- A Venezuelan “doctor of the poor,” and
- Three nuns devoted to charity work.
Soon after the ceremony, the Pope unveiled portraits of the seven new saints in windows overlooking St. Peter’s Square. During his homily Leo said, “These seven witnesses keep the flame of faith alive. May their intercession guide us in our trials and their lives inspire our own quest for holiness.”
The canonization process requires that a person be deceased, produce at least two miracles, and lead an exemplary Christian life.
Last month, Leo also beatified Carlo Acutis, known as “God’s Influencer,” who created a website cataloguing world miracles and died of cancer at 15. Pier Giorgio Frassati, a symbolic figure of charity who died at 24, was also declared a saint.
These new saints join the growing list of holy figures that worshippers visit for blessings and inspiration.
Source: New York Post
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