Sunday was a big day for Catholics in North America. Thousands
of miles away in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI named 17th century
Mohawk Kateri Tekakwitha the first Native American saint.
Another newly named saint is Marianne Cope, a German-born woman
who emigrated to the United States as a child, became a nun and
went on to devote 30 years of her life helping lepers in Hawaii.
Their canonization, along with that of five other saints, was
celebrated at a special Mass in St. Peter's Square Sunday
morning. "This is a great weekend for America in the Vatican,
and it's really a great weekend for Native Americans. Sainthood
is the guarantee that this person is close to God," said Vatican
senior communications adviser Greg Burke. "There's a vast
history of people the Catholic Church has made saints over the
centuries. Holiness is absolutely a matter of equal opportunity,
but this certainly is special because it marks the first time a
Native American becomes a saint." The pope praised Tekakwitha,
whom he said lived a simpl