VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI formally recognized Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop, at a mass in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Sunday in front of some 50,000 cheering pilgrims.
"Through her intercession, may her followers today continue to serve God and the Church with faith and humility," Benedict said at the ceremony, attended by Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and hundreds of senior clergymen.
"For many years countless young people throughout Australia have been blessed with teachers who were inspired by the courageous and saintly example of zeal, perseverance and prayer of Mother Mary MacKillop," he said.
"She dedicated herself as a young woman to the education of the poor in the difficult and demanding terrain of rural Australia," he added.
Pronouncing a solemn prayer in Latin, the pope also recognized Canada’s Brother Andre and four others from Italy, Poland and Spain and declared that "throughout the Church they be honored devoutly among all the saints."
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski were also among the worshippers and six giant images of the new saints hung from the facade of Saint Peter’s basilica for the mass.
There were some 6,000 Australians and 5,000 Canadians, Vatican authorities said. Many wore Australian bush hats and waved Australian and Canadian flags.
"It’s just wonderful. We’ve always believed Mary was a saint," said Moya Campbell, one of 800 nuns in the crowd from the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the order that MacKillop helped found.
"This is awesome," said Emilia Mourani, 36, who flew in from Sydney.
"I’ve prayed to her and she’s helped me with my problems. That’s why I’m here, I wanted to thank her," she said, visibly moved by the moment.
Rudd earlier paid tribute to MacKillop as "an extraordinary Australian."
Anna Diliddo, 45, an art teacher from Toronto, came with a school group of 18 pupils and six teachers to witness the canonization of Brother Andre.
"I feel very excited. He was wonderful. He healed many," Diliddo said.
There were nationwide celebrations in Australia for MacKillop (1842-1909) and her canonization was preceded by a series of events in Rome including an open-air Aboriginal dance show at the Vatican museum with didgeridoo music.
MacKillop was an inspirational nun and teacher who fell out with Australian church authorities and was briefly excommunicated in 1871 in a fight over control of her order and after her denunciation of a pedophile priest.
"St Mary’s canonization highlights the central role Christian faith has played in Australian history," Cardinal George Pell, the archbishop of Sydney, who helped celebrate the mass, wrote in Australia’s Sunday Telegraph.
"Mary — Saint Mary of the Cross — was a fine Australian and an outstanding Catholic," Pell said, referring also to the "unprincipled opposition from bishops, clergy and even her own sisters" that she encountered.
Also among the spectators was Father Thomas Casanova, 43, a Catholic priest from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales.
"It’s a momentous occasion. I’ve been looking forward to this since I was a child," said Casanova — a distant relative of the new saint.
"She will help us have a greater perspective on life," he said.
A part-religious, part-nationalist, part-media frenzy has seized Australia for the canonization, with "MacKillop" the musical playing to sold-out shows and a nightly projection of her image on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
MacKillop already has stamps and pop songs in her honor, along with merchandise including bumper stickers and keyrings that is selling briskly. Her fans have also set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account in her honor.
Canonization is only the end point of a long process of documentation and research into the life of would-be saints by Vatican authorities that often lasts several years and must include at least two proven miracles.
Brother Andre (1845-1937), a monk from the Canadian province of Quebec was credited with healing powers that were initially dismissed by senior clergy.
The six saints announced on Sunday bring to 34 the number of people canonized by Benedict XVI since his election to the papacy in 2005. His predecessor, John Paul II, recognized almost 500 saints.
