Pilgrims before St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, during the joint canonisation of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
93 official delegations, including 24 heads of state, attended the canonisation mass, and some 150 cardinals and 700 bishops were also present.
The Polish delegation was led by President Bronislaw Komorowski and First Lady Anna Komorowska, who were joined by the former's predecessors Aleksander Kwasniewski and Lech Walesa, among other dignitaries.
The mass began at 10 am, local time, and as protocol dictates Pope Francis was asked three times whether the two late pontiffs should be canonised.
“We declare and define John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enrol them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church,” he responded (translated here from the Latin).
Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk
Silver reliquaries (pictured left) containing relics of the late pontiffs were placed on the main altar.
Hundreds of Polish flags fluttered on St. Peter's Square and beyond as the mass progressed, with the crowds stretching as far back as the River Tiber.
After the canonisation had been completed, cheers and applause rang out.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who had been a close confidant of the Polish pontiff, was also present, attending the ceremony with the aid of a walking stick.
John Paul II was the second longest serving pontiff in the history of the papacy, holding the office from 1978 to 2005.
John XXIII reigned only from 1958 to 1963 but he was of ground-breaking significance owing to his backing of the Second Vatican Council, which modernised the Church and paved the way for countless reforms.
Click here for an audio report about how the two popes modernised the Roman Catholic Church. In a separate report, Polish Radio's English Section explores how Pope John Paul II's bolstered Poland's anti-communist opposition in the last decade before the fall of the Iron Curtain. (nh)
Pope Francis greets the faithful at the end of the Canonization Mass for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII in Saint Peter's square at Vatican City, 27 April 2014. Photo: EPA/Ettore Ferrari