Pope Francis has created four new female saints, two of them nuns who promoted the education of Arab girls in the Ottoman Empire. Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem said of them, “As the Holy Land, wrecked by violence and dissent, has for some time had a tarnished image, our two saints emerge to restore its sanctity, reminding us that sanctity is possible even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Saint Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas (Ottoman Empire)

St. Mariam Baouardy (Ottoman Empire)

Saint Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)

Saint Emilie de Villeneuve (France)

Read their profiles at the source.