Pope Honors 44 Martyrs

Pope John Paul II honored 44 martyrs Sunday, holding up their lives as profiles in courage. The honor, called beatification, is the last formal step before the process of sainthood can begin. Among those declared blessed: Vietnam’s first martyr, Andre de Phu Yen, who was beheaded in 1644 when he refused to renounce Christianity; and Maria Stella Adela Mardosewicz and 10 fellow Polish nuns, who offered their lives to the Nazis in exchange for those of dozens of families in 1943. John Paul has beatified or canonized more than 1,200 candidates since he became pope in 1978, about as many as had been honored from the early 17th century until his papacy.