Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Rome to witness a ceremony which makes a saint of one of Catholicism's most popular and controversial figures, Padre Pio. Pilgrims from around the world packed St Peter's Square in soaring temperatures as the Pope carried out the canonisation. Local authorities handed out a million bottles of water and the fire brigade was at the ready to spray the crowds with water to relieve them from the heat. Padre Pio, an Italian Capuchin monk who died in 1968, is revered for having borne permanent wounds on his hands and feet like those Christ suffered at the crucifixion.

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