UPI reports

Pope Benedict XVI canonizes four saints -- Oct. 15, 2006

Thousands of people attended an outdoor ceremony on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI canonized four saints.

The four new saints include a Mexican bishop who endured anti-cleric persecution and an Italian nun who was a pioneer in women's schooling, the BBC said.

The four new saints are Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia, 1878-1938, who disguised himself so she could care for the injured during the Mexican revolution; Filippo Smaldone, 1848-1923, an Italian priest who founded an order of nuns and schools for the hearing impaired; Mother Theodore Guerin, 1798-1856, a pioneer of schools and religious institutions on the American frontier; and Rosa Venerini, 1656-1728, who helped to establish Italy's first public schools for girls.