Palestine receives papal blessings

Pope Francis described Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as an 'angel of peace' before he canonised two 19th century nuns in hopes of encouraging Christians across the Middle East who are facing a wave of persecution from Islamic extremists.

Sisters Mariam Bawardy and Marie Alphonsine Ghattas, who lived in what was 19th century Palestine, were among four nuns made saints today at a Mass in a sun-soaked St. Peter's Square.

President Abbas joined an estimated 2,000 pilgrims from the region, many of them waving Palestinian flags, for the canonisation of the first saints from the Holy Land since the early years of Christianity.

When he and Pope Francis met on Saturday, the Pope described the Palestinian president as 'an angel of peace', and church officials are holding up Bawardy and Ghattas as a sign of hope and encouragement for Christians across the Middle East at a time when violent persecution and discrimination have driven many Christians from the region of Christ's birth.

The two nuns were canonised along with two other nuns, Saints Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve from France and Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception from Italy.

The ceremony highlighted Pope Francis' drive to help embattled Christian communities in the Middle East.

Abbas' visit comes days after the Vatican finalized a bilateral treaty with the 'state of Palestine' that made explicit its recognition of Palestinian statehood.