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Secretary General Attends Canonization of John Paul II and John XXIII

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today attended the canonization ceremony for John Paul II and John XXIII in Saint Peter´s Square in Vatican City, on an invitation from Pope Francis.

Secretary General Insulza called today´s double canonization an historical event of our time. "They are, without doubt, the two principal Popes of the twentieth century who each put the Catholic Church in the center of the events of his era," he said.

The Secretary General added: "John XXIII carried out the deepest liturgical and doctrinal reform in centuries and thereby promoted the Church's encounter with the poor, the persecuted and the excluded, pointing the way to a profound social and political change. His message was picked up by many, especially young people, to believe in the possibility of a more just world and thus give meaning to their life."

On John Paul II, Insulza recalled "He took over the leadership of the Church in times of crisis and gave a new vigor and identity to Catholicism worldwide. He led the Church through the turbulent years of the end of the Cold War, opening a wide space of hope for all the peoples of the earth with his example and leadership, who knew of his tireless pilgrimage."

These two saints, said Insulza, “united forever in history, by the decision of Pope Francis, represent the best of the doctrine and action of the Catholic Church in our times.”

In the framework of the visit, in the moments before the ceremony, the Secretary General had the opportunity to speak with the Presidents of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes; Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández; and Ecuador, Rafael Correa; the President elect of El Salvador, Salvador Sánchez Cerén; as well as the Vice President of Guatemala, Roxana Baldetti, and the Foreign Ministers of Panama, Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Following the ceremony, Secretary General Insulza greeted Pope Francis, who presided over the act in which the Vatican, for the first time in its history, canonized two Popes on the same day. 23 heads of state attended the ceremony, as did ministers from several countries of the Americas and the world, and representatives of different international organizations.

On the day he arrived, the OAS leader met with the Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in his offices in the Holy See. During the meeting, Secretary General Insulza and Cardinal Parolin discussed the current political context in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-166/14