Pope Leo XIV on Monday highlighted the life testimony of the saints canonized Sunday, Oct. 19, as “luminous signs of hope” for today’s Catholics.

“The men and women we proclaimed saints yesterday are luminous signs of hope for all of us, because they offered their lives for love of Christ and their brothers and sisters,” the pontiff said in his address to the pilgrims, representatives of the clergy, and civil authorities who had traveled to Rome to participate in the canonization of the seven new saints.

Leo XIV expressed his hope that the canonization of Venezuela’s first two saints, Carmen Rendiles and José Gregorio Hernández, would be “a strong incentive for all Venezuelans to come together and recognize themselves as children and brothers and sisters of the same homeland, reflecting on the present and the future in the light of the virtues that these saints lived in a heroic manner.”

Pointing to the faith of both saints, the pope emphasized that “God was present in their lives and transformed them, turning the simple existence of a normal person, like any one of us, into a lamp that illuminated everyone with a new light in their daily lives.”

The Holy Father emphasized that these two saints, whose lives can illuminate the present, were “people very similar to ourselves, who lived confronting problems that are not unfamiliar to us and which we ourselves can face as they did, following their example.”

The Holy Father also indicated that “if God is our eternal reward, our work and our struggles cannot end in goals that are not only unworthy and degrading but also ephemeral.”

He also invited his listeners to recognize that “those who live alongside me — like me, like them — are called to the same holiness; I must therefore see them, above all, as brothers and sisters to be respected and loved, sharing the journey of life, supporting each other in difficulties and building the kingdom of God together with joy.”

St. Ignatius Maloyan, a pastor after the heart of Christ

Regarding the Armenian Catholic archbishop St. Ignatius Maloyan, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that he was “a pastor after Christ’s own heart, and in times of heavy difficulties, he did not abandon his flock; rather he encouraged them in order to strengthen their faith.”

He also noted that “when he was asked to renounce his faith in exchange for freedom, he did not hesitate to choose his Lord, even to the point of shedding his own blood for God.”

The Holy Father therefore prayed for the intercession of this saint “to renew the fervor of believers and bring fruits of reconciliation and peace for all.”

St. Peter To Rot, defender of truths of the faith

For Leo XIV, St. Peter To Rot, the first native Papuan saint, offers “an inspiring example of steadfastness and fortitude in preaching the truths of the Gospel when confronted by difficulties and challenges, even threats to our lives.”

The pope prayed that the example of this saint from Papua New Guinea “would encourage us to defend the truths of the faith, even at the cost of personal sacrifice, and to rely always on God in our trials.”

Murdered at the age of 33 in 1945 for defending the sanctity of marriage, he demonstrated, according to the pontiff, “extraordinary courage by risking his life to carry out his apostolate in secret, because his pastoral work was prohibited by the occupying forces during the Second World War.”

St. Maria Troncatti, an example of charity

Regarding the new Salesian saint who dedicated her life to serving the Indigenous peoples of Ecuador, Pope Leo noted that “she cared for the bodies and hearts of those she assisted with the love and strength she drew from faith and prayer.”

“Her truly tireless work,” the pontiff continued, “is an example for us of a charity that does not give up in the face of difficulties but rather transforms them into opportunities for free and total self-giving.”

St. Vicenta Maria Poloni: Perseverance in service to the weak

Pope Leo XIV highlighted St. Vicenta Maria Poloni, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, for her compassion toward the sick and marginalized.

Her example, the Holy Father explained, “encourages us to persist in daily service to the most fragile: It is precisely there that holiness of life flourishes!” he exclaimed.

St. Bartolo Longo and love of Mary in the rosary

Finally, he emphasized that the Italian St. Bartolo Longo “devoted all his energy to works of corporal and spiritual mercy, promoting faith in Christ and affection for Mary through charity toward orphans, the poor, the desperate.”

“Grateful to its founder, may the Shrine of Pompeii preserve and spread the fervor of St. Bartolo, apostle of the rosary. I wholeheartedly recommend this prayer to everyone, to priests, religious, families, and young people,” the pontiff encouraged.

With this prayer, the Holy Father said, “we assimilate the Gospel and learn to practice it.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.