The Roman Catholic Church has four new saints.

Pope Benedict proclaimed them during a ceremony this morning in St. Peter's Square. They include the first Indian woman to become a saint, Sister Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, who died in 1946 at age 35. Her canonization is seen as a morale boost for Christians in India who have suffered Hindu violence.

The other three new saints all lived in the 19th century. One was a Neapolitan priest who founded a missionary order, another a nun who worked in Ecuador and Colombia, and the third a laywoman from Ecuador who helped the sick and the poor.

Pope Benedict told the crowd, "May their examples give us encouragement, their teachings give us direction and comfort."