| Introduction: |
On October 1, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized 120 martyrs in Rome . Thirty-three were foreign missionaries, 87 were Chinese. One was only seven years old, while the oldest was 79. Men and women, cleric and lay, they all died in China from the 17th century through the year 1900 for their Catholic faith. Who were they? What does a canonization ceremony include? Where do relics of the saints fit into the bigger picture of the Catholic faith? What about the accusation that they were agents of imperialism? With eight pages of color photos. |
