The intention to change "is exactly the theological element that allows absolution and access to the Eucharist as long as there is the impossibility of immediately changing the situation of sin."

Father Romano Gambalunga said that while "Lucia is already a saint in the eyes" of many people, "the prudent path of the church is that she is proposed to all, not just those who believe."

The company called the religion argument a "last-minute delay tactic."

The statement came after a handful of public challenges to Pope Francis' teaching and authority

In North Africa, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa now make up a large proportion of Catholic communities.

Russian and Polish studies indicate that 422 Catholic priests were executed, murdered or tortured to death, along with 962 monks, nuns and laypeople.