Religion and Politics

Pope Canonizes Seven Saints

Rachel Donadio reports for The New York Times that Pope Benedict XVI has canonized seven new saints, including the Catholic Church’s first Native American saint. The elevation of Kateri Tekewitha, known to many as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” is not without controversy. Some have called the act “an implicit offense to Native American traditions,” writes Donadio. But Eleanor Smith, who has both Choctaw and Navajo heritage, believes that Kateri represents “a combination of your Catholic and your native traditions blending together.”

Read at The New York Times

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