Pope Francis Canonizes Palestinian Nuns

Pope Francis canonized two nuns from Palestine on Sunday — the first time in modern history anyone from that part of the world is declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Mariam Baouardy were among four women elevated to sainthood by the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, where some 2,000 Palestinians gathered to watch the announcement.
Ghattas was born in Jerusalem to a Palestinian family. Her life’s work is the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters which today runs a number of schools and kindergartens throughout the Arab world.
Bawardy’s story is more tragic.
She was raised by her uncle after her parents died when she was three-years-old. The story goes that she had her throat slit by one of her uncle’s servants after refusing to convert to Islam.
Bowardi survived the attack, however, and went on to lead a life dedicated to the Church and the poor.
Persecution and political unrest in the Middle-East have caused the number of Christians in the region to dwindle steadily in the last few years. In Israel and Palestine, Christians make up less than two percent of the population.