Pope Benedict XVI canonizes four saints

VATICAN CITY, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Thousands of people attended an outdoor ceremony on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI canonized four saints.

The four new saints include a Mexican bishop who endured anti-cleric persecution and an Italian nun who was a pioneer in women's schooling, the BBC said.

The four new saints are Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia, 1878-1938, who disguised himself so she could care for the injured during the Mexican revolution; Filippo Smaldone, 1848-1923, an Italian priest who founded an order of nuns and schools for the hearing impaired; Mother Theodore Guerin, 1798-1856, a pioneer of schools and religious institutions on the American frontier; and Rosa Venerini, 1656-1728, who helped to establish Italy's first public schools for girls.