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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Pope Canonizes Father Damien

Belgian missionary, four others elevated to sainthood

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(Newser) – Father Damien, the Belgian missionary who ministered to leprosy victims on the Hawaiian island of Molokai before contracting and dying of the disease, was canonized today. The 19th-century priest, the founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and three others were elevated to sainthood in a ceremony that drew tens of thousands to St. Peter's Basilica and the surrounding area, the Catholic News Service reports.

Father Damien spoke for "rejected people of all kinds: the incurably ill (victims of AIDS or other diseases), abandoned children, disoriented youths, exploited women, neglected elderly people and oppressed minorities," the ceremony's official program read.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Easter Mass at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, April 12, 2009.
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Easter Mass at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, April 12, 2009.   (Getty Images)
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Father Alfred Bell, who advocated for Father Damien's canonization, discusses the 19th-century Belgian missionary and his cause.   (romereports)

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19 comments
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divetrader
Oct 11, 09 3:00 PM CDT
What do you know? the Pope got one thing right. Reply
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PhillytoWinnetka
Oct 12, 09 4:47 PM CDT
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JoeQ
Oct 11, 09 3:09 PM CDT
Didn't they cannonize Hunter Thompson, too? Reply
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OG_Travis
Oct 11, 09 4:18 PM CDT
i'm sure they did a lot of good....just not as much as the great Doctor Gonzo
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IN RESPONSE:
JoeQ
Oct 11, 09 7:20 PM CDT
No wait, they shot his ashes out a cannon. Cannon with two N's. Never mind.
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