Vatican declares two popes saints John XXIII and John Paul II.

Hundreds of thousands of people today filled St Peter's Square at the Vatican for a historic day involving four popes.

In the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI, Francis declared John XXIII and John Paul II saints - in the first canonisation of two pontiffs. 

Benedict, now aged 87, was sitting off to the side with other cardinals in the square during the rite at the start of Sunday's Mass. He praised his two predecessors as "men of courage" at the Vatican service, the first time in history that two popes have been canonised at the same time.

Italian officials predicted 1million were watching the Mass from the square, the streets surrounding it.

Faithful filling the square: Pope Francis has declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints in an unprecedented ceremony

It was a sign of their appreciation for the strides made in Catholic-Jewish relations under John, John Paul - and their successors celebrating the Mass.

PROFILE: JOHN PAUL II

• 
  1920: Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland
• 1946: Ordained priest
• 1964: Becomes Archbishop of Krakow
• 1978: Elected Pope aged 58
• 1981: Seriously wounded in shooting
• 2001: Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
• 2003: Celebrates Silver Jubilee at Vatican
• 2004: Papacy becomes third-longest ever
• 2005: Dies after heart attack

John Paul helped topple communism in Poland through his support of the Solidarity movement. His globe-trotting papacy and launch of the wildly popular World Youth Days invigorated a new generation of Catholics. And his defence of core church teaching heartened conservatives after the turbulent 1960s.

PROFILE: JOHN XXIII

• 
  1881: Born Angelo Roncalli, Italy
• 1904: Ordained priest
• 1953 Appointed the Patriarch of Venice
• 1958: Succeeds Pope Pius XII aged 77
• 1962: Calls the Second Vatican Council
• 1962: Named Man of the Year by Time
• 1963: Dies of stomach cancer
• 2000: John, known as the 'Good Pope', is beatified by Pope John Paul II

John is a hero to liberal Catholics for having convened the Second Vatican Council. The meetings brought the church into the modern era by allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than Latin and by encouraging greater dialogue with people of other faiths, particularly Jews.