Pope canonises priest who died of leprosy

A 19th-century priest whose courageous work with leprosy patients in Hawaii was likened to the efforts of those battling the stigma of Aids, has been elevated to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI, along with four other Catholics.

Among the 10,000 pilgrims packing St Peter’s Basilica was Hawaii resident Audrey Toguchi, an 80-year-old retired school teacher whose recovery from lung cancer a decade ago stunned her doctor and was ruled a miracle by the Vatican.