On October 20, the Catholic Church welcomed 14 new saints. Pope Francis presided over the canonization Mass for 11 Christians martyred in 19th-century Syria and three founders of religious orders at the Vatican.

In a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three nineteenth-century founders of religious orders and the eleven “Martyrs of Damascus” as saints to be venerated by the global Catholic Church.

Pope Francis created a new group of saints on Sunday, canonizing 14 individuals including the "martyrs of Damascus," killed in Syria during the Ottoman Empire.

Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis was a Quebec-born religious sister who founded the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family almost a century and a half ago

Pope Francis created a new group of saints on Sunday, canonizing 14 individuals including the "martyrs of Damascus", killed in Syria during the Ottoman Empire and symbols of Christian persecution.