Hundreds of thousands cheered and celebrated as Pope Benedict XVI gave Brazil its first  native born saint today, Friday, May 11th. A giant cross dominated Campo de Marte where the canonization mass took place. Brazilians and Catholics worldwide remember the beatification mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II in the same venue. A sober, classical liturgy marked the canonization of Antonio de Sant’Ana Galvao, a Franciscan monk. The monk founded several convents and monasteries throughout Brazil but is best remembered because of his reputed healing powers delivered in small paper “miracle” pill.  The church recognized three miracle cures which led to his canonization. The German pontiff said Galvao showed the world that it “needs transparent lives, clear souls, pure hearts necessary to  oppose those elements of the media that ridicule the sanctity of virginity before marriage”. The canonization mass was followed by a rally of Latin American youths at Sao Paulo footbal stadium where the Pope urged the young people to “be apostles of youth”.

Latin America is home to nearly half of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, but has lost ground in recent years due to people converting to rival faiths or abandoning religion.