They were declared saints by Pope Francis, before a crowd of hundreds of thousands in the Vatican.

 

Pilgrims and leaders from Latin America were among those who attended the ceremony on Sunday. 

 

Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

 

In Costa Rica, some 20,000 people assembled in the national stadium for a vigil, which began on Saturday night.

 

They watched the Sunday-morning Mass in St Peter's Square on big screens in San Jose.

 

 

A woman from the Central American nation played a key role in the canonisation（正式宣布为圣徒） of Pope John Paul II. 

 

The Church says Floribeth Mora's life was miraculous¹ saved by the Polish-born Pope. 

 

She had a rare type of brain aneurysm that could not be operated on and says she was cured after praying for the late Pope in 2011. 

 

That was the second miracle required by the Vatican for Pope John Paul to be declared a saint.

 

Ms Mora was at the ceremony in St Peter's Square.

 

"God has chosen this very beautiful country to carry out a miracle, something unexplainable," a young Catholic named Carlos Cruz told Reuters.

 

In Mexico - which was part of Karol Wojtyla's first visit abroad after he became Pope in 1978 - some 1,500 people took part in a vigil in the capital's main cathedral.

 

"Those of us here have come because of our faith, fervour for Jesus Christ and to ask John Paul II to intercede² on our behalf," said Maria Ines Rivera.

 

Brazil, which has the largest Catholic population in the world, has become the first country to name a church after Saint John Paul II. 

 

The small church, in a poor neighbourhood of Salvador, was opened by the Pope in 1980.

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