Thousands of Catholics are expected to pack into the Pacific Coliseum this afternoon to celebrate the canonization of two former Popes.
The Vancouver Archdiocese says it might be the largest celebration on the continent to mark the historic occasion at the Vatican.
This morning, Pope Francis declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints before some 800,000 people, an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence in St. Peter’s Square of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.
The Vancouver Archdiocese says British Columbians have a special fondness for John Paul II.
He made stops in Vancouver and Abbotsford during the first-ever visit by a Pope to Canada in 1984.
More than 250 Catholic students will sing and up to 60 priests will say Mass at the event this afternoon.
A grand procession into the Coliseum begins at 2 p.m.
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