Their lives on the newly canonized saints, the Pope said, exemplify the enduring power of faith to illuminate the human experience
Newsroom (20/10/2025, Gaudium Press )In a vibrant Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Square on World Mission Sunday, Pope Leo XIV canonized seven new saints, proclaiming them models of faith who kept the light of Christ burning in a world often darkened by doubt. The Holy Father urged Christians to pray with trust and perseverance, even in the face of trials, to sustain their bond with God.
The newly canonized saints—Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan, Peter To Rot, Vincenza Maria Poloni, Maria del Monte Carmelo Rendiles Martínez, Maria Troncatti, José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, and Bartolo Longo—were elevated to the honors of the altar during the Sunday liturgy. Their lives, the Pope said, exemplify the enduring power of faith to illuminate the human experience.
Reflecting on Jesus’ question in the Gospel of Luke—whether the Son of Man will find faith on earth upon His return—Pope Leo XIV described faith as a “precious bond of love” between God and humanity. “Today, we have before us seven witnesses, the new saints, who, with God’s grace, kept the lamp of faith burning,” he said. “They themselves became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ.”
The Pope emphasized that while the world’s material, cultural, and scientific achievements hold great value, their meaning fades without faith. A faithless world, he warned, risks becoming a place “filled with children without a Father,” devoid of hope or desire for salvation. Prayer, he said, is the lifeblood of faith, sustaining the soul as breathing sustains the body. “Faith is expressed in prayer, and authentic prayer lives on faith,” he noted.
Addressing challenges to prayer, Pope Leo XIV identified two common temptations: allowing the scandal of evil to foster doubt in God’s care, and treating prayer as a demand for God to act according to human expectations. He pointed to Jesus’ prayer on the Cross—surrendering to God’s will—as the antidote to both. “When we wonder where God is amid trials, let us transform this doubt into prayer, recognizing that God is present wherever people suffer,” he said. “There is no cry that God does not console; there is no tear that is far from His heart.”
The Pope underscored that Christ is present in moments of suffering, standing with those “crucified” by pain, violence, hatred, or war. He called on Christians to embrace faith in every facet of life, as it fuels commitment to justice and hope for salvation.
In closing, Pope Leo XIV invoked the intercession of the new saints, praying they guide the faithful in their call to holiness. “Faith on earth,” he said, “thus sustains the hope for heaven.” The canonization Mass, attended by thousands, served as a powerful reminder of the Church’s mission to nurture faith and hope in a world yearning for God’s love.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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