Canonizations will boost morale of Palestinian Christians, bishop says
May 14, 2015
The May 17 canonization of two Palestinian women “gives hope to Christians in the Holy Land,” Bishop William Shomali told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Blessed Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Blessed Mariam Baouardi will be canonized by Pope Francis on Saturday, with more than 2,000 pilgrims from the Holy Land expected to attend the ceremony.
The canonization will bring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Rome, and many pilgrims will no doubt flourish the Palestinian flag, Bishop Shomali said. “But we cannot reduce the event to its political significance. It is first and foremost a spiritual happening."
Bishop Shomali—an auxiliary of the Jerusalem patriarchate, whose primary responsibility is for the Palestinian territories— said that the canonization of the two new saints will bring new pilgrims to the Holy Land. However, he said, the saints belong to the universal Church.
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