Article Photos

A maile lei was wrapped around the base of a statue of the Roman Catholic priest from Belgium who ministered to leprosy patients on Molokai in the 19th century. The statue is identical to the one outside the State Capitol in Honolulu. Guests at the ceremony included Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva, who led a contingent of about a dozen people from Hawaii. In his remarks, Belgium's ambassador to the U.S., Jan Matthysen, said a recent poll in his homeland found that Damien is considered the ''greatest Belgian of all time.'' Pope Benedict XVI canonized Damien on Oct. 11.