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            Pope Bestows Sainthood on Italians Massacred by Ottomans

   Pope Francis has proclaimed his first Roman Catholic saints, including
   hundreds of Italians who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam
   in the 15th century.
   In his first Sunday canonization ceremony since beginning his reign in
   March, Francis also named a Colombian nun as the first saint of the
   South American nation and granted sainthood to another nun from Mexico.
   Francis` predecessor, Benedict, had approved the sainthoods in February
   while announcing his retirement.
   The newly-canonized Italian saints known as Antonio Primaldo and his
   Companions were massacred in 1480, when Ottoman Turks invaded the
   southern Italian town of Otranto in 1480 and demanded that its
   Christian inhabitants convert to Islam. When the inhabitants refused,
   the invaders beheaded a group of about 800 men and boys, who became
   revered by Catholics as the Otranto Martyrs.
   Benedict had offended some Muslims during his eight-year papacy with
   remarks seen by them as equating Islam with violence. The former
   pontiff said he was misunderstood. But, relations between the Vatican
   and Muslims have remained sensitive and it is not clear how they will
   respond to the canonization of the Italians killed by the Ottomans.
   In an address to more than 60,000 pilgrims who attended the ceremony,
   Pope Francis said many Christians around the world still suffer
   violence due to their faith and he prayed for them to have "the courage
   to respond to evil with good." He did not single out any countries.
   Francis also canonized Colombian nun Laura of St. Catherine of Siena
   Montoya y Upegui and Mexican nun Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, both of
   whom founded religious orders and died in the 20th century.
   Laura of St. Catherine dedicated herself to helping Colombia`s
   indigenous people, while Guadalupe Garcia Zavala worked with the sick
   and poor.
   The pope also used his address to speak out against abortion for the
   first time since his election, calling for "respect for human life from
   the moment of conception." He lent his support to an Italian group
   campaigning for promoting legal protection for embryos.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-bestows-sainthood-on-italians-massacred-by-ottomans/1659560.html