Argentina Celebrates Its First Female Saint, Mama Antula

Mama Antula, an 18th-century laywoman, will be canonized by Pope Francis, marking a historic moment for Argentina.

Mama Antula, born María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, will become the first female saint from Argentina in a ceremony presided over by Pope Francis.
Known for her rebellion against societal norms, she joined the Jesuits at 15, refusing marriage or convent life.
She continued Jesuit spiritual exercises across Argentina, even under threat of imprisonment, after the Jesuits were expelled in 1767.
Her canonization follows the recognition of miracles attributed to her, including the inexplicable healing of a seriously ill nun and a former Jesuit seminarian.
The event will also symbolize a reconciliation between Pope Francis and Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, who had previously criticized the pope.