The Martyrs of Compiègne of French Revolution are canonized after ‘walking together’

Pope Francis on Wednesday decided to make the Martyrs of Compiègne officially saints. It was a rare decision, in that no one in the Church disagreed with it.

In order to understand why the decision met with basically universal applause, it’s important to know the story of the sixteen Carmelite sisters guillotined in Paris on 17 July 1794 during the blood-soaked and chaotic phase of the French Revolution known as the Reign of Terror.

Ten days after the execution of the martyrs...