ATICAN CITY — In front of at least 20,000 people this morning in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI made official what many in Hawai'i always knew — that "Kamiano" of Moloka'i, whose unwavering compassion in the face of so much suffering has become a parable for our times, led a life worthy of elevation to sainthood.

...

The pope, in Flemish, told attendees that Father Damien went to Moloka'i though he knew doing so was exposing himself to Hansen's disease.

The pontiff added that when Damien got there he felt "at home."

More than 550 Islanders made the 12,000-mile trek to Rome for the canonization of Hawai'i's first saint, which comes 120 years after Father Damien's death in Kalaupapa from Hansen's disease and follows a decades-long push to see the hero that the isolated Hansen's disease settlement gave the world recognized for his tremendous sacrifice.

The canonization was held in the basilica at the last minute because of wet weather.

It meant that far fewer people were able to watch the ceremony in person because the basilica's maximum capacity is about 20,000. The square can fit 50,000 or more.

Those who couldn't get into the basilica, after a frantic push and shove for available seats, grabbed spots in the square, where they watched the ceremony on large television screens.

The ceremony was conducted largely in Italian.

Sitting near the front of the basilica shortly after attendees were allowed in around 8:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. yesterday Hawai'i time) were 11 of the last remaining Hawai'i residents sent to Kalaupapa after being diagnosed with Hansen's disease when the state still imposed quarantine restrictions on those with the sickness.

Today, those patients are mostly in their 70s and 80s, and are grateful to be witnessing Father Damien's canonization. So many of their friends died before the day came, they said.

Kalaupapa resident Elroy Makia Malo called Father Damien his hero.

"He caught the disease and he died," Malo said. "To have given his life for what he believed in. Oh, it makes me feel small."

The pontiff emerged about 10 a.m. for the canonization ceremony.

At 10:30, he read a Latin passage that added Father Damien and four others to the Canon of Saints of the Roman Catholic Church.

Among those seated in a VIP section was 'Aiea resident Audrey Toguchi, whose cure from an aggressive cancer 11 years ago after refusing medical treatment and praying to Damien instead was the second miracle attributed to the priest, assuring his elevation to sainthood.

Speaking after the canonization ceremony, patient Gloria Marks said, "Finally we can go home and take our saint with us. It's a very moving experience."

In celebration of the canonization, the Vatican hung five huge tapestries — one for each saint — on the facade of St. Peter's Basilica facing into St. Peter's Square. The tapestries measured about 14 feet long and 12 feet wide. The image used for Damien's tapestry is one of the most well-known photos of the priest, taken near the end of his life, where the tell-tale signs of Hansen's disease were evident on his face and his hands.

The Very Rev. Javier Alvarez Ossorio, superior general of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, of which Father Damien was a member, said the photo was chosen because it shows the priest bearing a "badge of honor" that he wore proudly because it brought him closer to the people he served.

About 250 Sacred Hearts brothers and 150 Sacred Hearts sisters from around the world attended the canonization — the biggest assembly of Sacred Hearts congregation members in years. Ossorio said the canonization is a joyous occasion and the highest possible affirmation that Damien lived a holy life.

Father Damien is the first saint from the Sacred Hearts congregation, and the ninth person who has been elevated to sainthood for good works on what is now American soil.

The Rev. Christopher Keahi, the provincial superior for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in the Islands, said the canonization cause took lots of hard work — and prayer.

"It is just a miracle," he said.

Ossorio added, "We all knew that he was a saint. One-hundred and 20 years (since his death), and here we are."

Father Damien died of Hansen's disease in 1889, at age 49.

He had come to Kalaupapa 16 years before, volunteering to minister to the sick who had been sent to the settlement — a natural prison — to die.

Over the course of his time in Kalaupapa, Father Damien helped to create a community worth being proud of, using his skills as a priest and humanitarian to help ease suffering, his skills with a hammer and nails to build a church, a school and coffins, and his at-times stubborn, irascible nature to advocate for a people that had been all but forgotten.

Many Hawai'i residents have been waiting a lifetime for Father Damien's elevation to sainthood.

There were calls for his canonization shortly after his death, but Father Damien's official cause for sainthood wasn't introduced until 1955. It took 40 more years for Damien to be beatified, given the title "blessed," the step before sainthood.

Sister Roselani Enomoto of Downtown, took a pilgrimage to Italy with the patients, Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva and about 500 other Islanders because she wasn't about to miss the canonization of Father Damien.

"I never dreamed Damien would be canonized in my lifetime. He is like an idol for me," she said. "He has reached the halls of sanctity. He is the model for us."

Kailua resident Lucy Poueu said she was touched as a child by Damien's story, when she learned about him in school.

"He gave his life," she said. "He is such an inspiring person."

In addition to the Hawai'i group at the canonization for Damien, there was a large contingent of Belgians. In Father Damien's home country, the priest is a national icon and a beloved hero.

There were also a handful of Hansen's disease patients from other parts of the world who hope Damien's canonization will help reduce the stigma associated with the illness.

"It's a good opportunity to honor Father Damien by continuing the search for justice," said Anwei Law, the international coordinator of IDEA, an international advocacy group for those with Hansen's disease.

In a statement issued earlier this week, Hawai'i-born President Obama said he learned of Father Damien — and his "tireless work" — while growing up in the Islands.

He continued, "Father Damien challenged the stigmatizing effects of the disease, giving voice to the voiceless and ultimately sacrificing his own life to bring dignity to so many. In our own time as millions around the world suffer from disease, especially the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, we should draw on the example of Father Damien's resolve in answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick."

During the ceremony, the pope was to present Honolulu Diocese Bishop Larry Silva with a small box containing the heel of Father Damien.

The Damien relic is the second to come to the Islands from the Vatican. In 1995, Damien's right hand was re-interred at Kalaupapa after the Sacred Hearts priest was beatified.

Damien was buried in 1889 at Kalaupapa. In 1936, his body was moved to a tomb in Louvain, Belgium, just outside his hometown of Tremelo, at the request of the Belgian government.

Ossorio, of the Sacred Hearts congregation, said the relic's return is symbolic. His right hand is what he used to perform his priestly duties.

"Now we have the feet because he was a pilgrim," Ossorio said. "He left his house, his homeland. He was always walking, going to the people."

Last night, Ossorio celebrated a vigil Mass in Damien's honor at the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. Thousands turned out for the ceremony, which was conducted in several other languages — English, Spanish, French and German.

Outside the basilica before the ceremony, attendees mingled with one another, some greeting friends from other countries they hadn't seen in years.

Father Zdzislaw Swiniarski traveled to the canonization from Poland with a group of about 300 parishioners. He said Father Damien's story is so moving — for so many people worldwide — because he put the "gospel into practice."