A reliquary containing relics of St. Junipero Serra is seen as Pope Francis celebrates the canonization Mass for the Spanish missionary outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Sept. 23, 2015. To better ensure that the veneration of relics — practiced by Christians since the earliest days of the church — is properly followed, the Congregation for Saints’ Causes released a new instruction late last year, aimed at upholding the integrity of the practice. CNS photo/Paul Haring
