Pope Leo XIV reveals teachings of newly canonized saints

Pope Leo XIV highlighted this Monday the testimony of life of the saints canonized on Sunday as “luminous signs of hope” for today’s Catholics.

“The men and women whom we proclaimed saints yesterday are for all of us luminous signs of hope, because they offered their lives for love of Christ and their brothers,” said the Pontiff when receiving at the Vatican the representatives of the clergy and the authorities who traveled to Rome to participate in the canonization of the seven new saints.

Venezuelan saints: people like us and examples of faith

Leo

The Pope highlighted the faith of both and stressed that “God was present in their lives and transformed them, making the simple existence of a normal person, like any of us, a lamp that, in everyday life, illuminated everyone with a new light.”

He also highlighted the virtues of charity and hope, and stated that “if God is our eternal reward, our work and struggles cannot end in goals that, in addition to being unworthy and degrading, are ephemeral.”

The Holy Father stressed the closeness of these two saints, whose lives can illuminate the present, since they were “people very similar to us, who lived facing problems that are not foreign to us, and that we ourselves can face as they did, following their example.”

Likewise, he invited us to recognize “that whoever lives next to me – like me, like them – is called to the same holiness, and therefore I must see him, above all, as a brother to respect and love, sharing the path of life, supporting us in difficulties and building together the Kingdom of God with joy.”

Saint Ignatius Maloyan, a shepherd after the heart of Christ

Regarding the Armenian Catholic archbishop Saint Ignatius Maloyan, Pope Leo XIV highlighted that he was “a shepherd after the heart of Christ”, who in times of great difficulties “did not abandon his flock; rather he encouraged them to strengthen their faith.”

Furthermore, he recalled that “when he was asked to renounce his faith in exchange for freedom, he did not hesitate to choose his Lord, even shedding his own blood for God.”

For this reason, the Holy Father asked that the intercession of this saint “renew the fervor of believers and bring fruits of reconciliation and peace for all.”

Saint Peter To Rot, defender of the truths of the faith

For Leo

The Pope invited this saint from Papua New Guinea to “encourage us to defend the truths of faith, even at the cost of personal sacrifice, and to always trust in God in the midst of trials.”

Assassinated at the age of 33 in 1945 for defending the sanctity of marriage, he demonstrated, according to the Pontiff, “extraordinary courage by risking his life to secretly carry out his apostolate, since his pastoral work was prohibited by the occupying forces during the Second World War.”

Saint Mary Troncatti, example of charity

Regarding the new Salesian saint, who dedicated her life to the service of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, the Pontiff recalled that “she healed the bodies and hearts of those she assisted with the love and strength that she drew from faith and prayer.”

“His truly tireless work,” the Pope continued, “is for us an example of charity that does not give up in the face of difficulties, but transforms them into occasions for a free and total gift of itself.”

Saint Vincent Maria Poloni encourages us to persevere in serving the weak

Of Saint Vincenta Maria Poloni, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, Pope Leo XIV highlighted her compassion towards the sick and marginalized.

His example, the Holy Father explained, “encourages us to persevere in daily service to the most fragile: it is precisely there where holiness of life flourishes!” he exclaimed.

Saint Bartolo Longo and the love of Mary in the Rosary

Finally, he highlighted that the Italian Saint Bartolo Longo “dedicated all his energies to the works of corporal and spiritual mercy, promoting faith in Christ and love for Mary through charity towards orphans, the poor and the desperate.”

“Grateful to its founder, the Sanctuary of Pompeii guards and spreads the fervor of Saint Bartholo, apostle of the Rosary: ​​I wholeheartedly recommend this prayer to everyone,” said the Pontiff.

With this prayer, the Holy Father concluded, “we assimilate the Gospel day by day and learn to put it into practice.”