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Pope declares latest saint... in Lorca, Murcia!
Pope Francis 'raised' the Franciscan Friar to the highest altar in a ceremony held this Sunday in St. Peter's Square in Rome.
A Franciscan friar from the San Cristóbal, San Pedro Soler, was "raised to the highest altar" in a ceremony attended by more than two hundred Lorca locals. The parish priests of San Diego and San Cristóbal, as well a delegation from the City Council headed by the mayor, attended the event at the Vatican.
St. Peter's Square in the Vatican had a Spanish air this past Sunday, as more than 200 people from Lorca witnessed the Rite of Canonisation of the blessed priest from Lorca, Pedro Soler, who together with his fellow martyrs was 'raised' to the highest altar by Pope Francis, becoming the first saint in the history of Lorca.
Members of the City Council attended the ceremonies which began Saturday night with a Prayer Vigil for the saints who were canonised on Sunday. Thousands of faithful filled St. Peter's Square, which they lit with candles while praying for the blessed Lorca native Pedro Soler. The Lorcan mayor highlighted, when speaking on the event, that "the sanctification of Pedro Soler is a historic milestone".
The ceremony on Sunday was witnessed by many of the religious order of Murcia, who travelled all the way to the Vatican for the occasion. The mayor saw the opportunity to promote the possible tourism that would arrive as a result of the media exposure of the event. He stated, "We know the importance of religious tourism at this time. It goes beyond a destination. It is the immersion in traditions, values and history and will be an economic engine for the San Cristóbal neighbourhood, for Lorca."
In addition to the ceremony abroad, back in Spain, an Alicante-based sculptor Ramón Cuenca is working on a new sculpture for the church of San Cristóbal, which is being financed by popular collection and is sponsored by the Parish Commission for the Canonisation of Blessed Pedro Soler.
Furthermore, a book is also to be republished, which tracks the life of the now-saint from his birth on April 28, 1827 to the beginning of his canonisation process which began on December 17, 1886.
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Images: Ayuntamiento de Lorca
