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

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.

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.

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 canonises 14 new saints, including the martyrs of Damascus, during a ceremony in Saint Peter's Square.

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

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.