Pope Francis created a new group of saints on Sunday, canonising 14 individuals including the "martyrs of Damascus", killed in Syria during the Ottoman Empire and symbols of Christian persecution.Francis presided over the canonisation ceremony in Saint Peter's Square in the presence of thousands of Catholic faithful from around the world.

Pope Francis canonised 14 individuals, including the "martyrs of Damascus," in a ceremony held in Saint Peter`s Square on

The newly canonized include St. Giuseppe Allamano, a diocesan priest from Italy who founded the Consolata missionary orders, and St. Marie-Léonie Paradis, a Canadian nun from Montreal known for founding an order dedicated to the service of priests.

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.

The Pope has commended the "lives of sacrifice, missionary zeal, and service to the Church" of 14 newly canonized saints.

In his famous work, “Anonymous Christianity,” the great Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner claims that the benefits of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice are not confined to the boundaries of any particular religious tradition or by our awareness or acceptance of Christian doctrine.

VATICAN— Pope Francis canonized 14 new saints on Sunday, including a father of eight and Franciscan friars killed in Syria for refusing to renounce their faith and convert to Islam. In a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct.