Vatican names new seven Saints

Pope Benedict XVI names seven new saints on Sunday including the first Native American, marking the start of a "Year of Faith" aimed at countering the rising tide of secularism in the West.

Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) -- informally known as "Lily of the Mohawks" -- lived in an area that is now on the border between the United States and Canada and is worshipped by believers in native religions as well as Catholics.

She will be canonised in St. Peter's Basilica at a lavish ceremony starting at 0730 GMT that follows her beatification in 1980 by the late pope John Paul II. At least 1,500 Canadian pilgrims -- many of them American Indians -- are expected to attend.

The other new saints include a French missionary to Madagascar, a Philippine seminarian martyred at the age of 17, a German migrant to the United States who took care of lepers and a Spanish nun who campaigned for women's rights.

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