CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Ten minutes of commercial free news for middle and high school classrooms. I`m Carl Azuz. We appreciate you watching.

First story is about a trip across the Pacific. President Obama is headed to four countries over the next week. He started in Japan. From there he`ll fly west to South Korea. The third leg of the trip will take him near the Equator to Malaysia and then he`ll visit the Philippines before heading back home to the U.S.

The president arrived in the Japanese capital of Tokyo yesterday. Japan`s prime minister took him to dinner at a world famous sushi restaurant. There`s a formal state dinner scheduled for today and throughout this trip, President Obama has some formal diplomatic challenges on his plate. One includes questions of how the U.S. can shift attention to Asia when it`s been so focused on Syria, Ukraine and the Middle East.

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AZUZ: For the first time in history, two popes, leaders of the Catholic Church are being canonized at the same time. Canonization is when someone is declared a saint. It`s a formal recognition by the Catholic Church that says someone lived a holy life, is in heaven and that he or she deserves to be honored and imitated by the Catholic faithful. There`ve been 266 popes in all, 83 of them have been canonized. That includes Pope John XXIII who led the Catholic Church between 1958 and 1963 and Pope John Paul II who led between 1978 and 2005. They are being declared Saints this Sunday.

And there`s an air of expectation and excitement in Vatican City, (INAUDIBLE) of the Roman Catholic Church.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Overnight, it seems that tourists` shops around Vatican Square are packing a new lines of (INAUDIBLE) and books. Their focus two former popes. And sales are booming.

CLAUDIA CAMICIA, BOOKSELLER: Usually we sell more small images, cards with the prayer or also the rosaries with the images. They are sold very well.

BITTERMANN: Never before have two popes been turned into Saints on the same day, and Catholics and non- Catholics alike are curious, not only about Pope John XXIII and John Paul II themselves, but also why they should become saints, and why the unprecedented double canonization.

Part of it goes back 50 years to the Second Vatican Council called by John XXIII to modernize the church. They young bishop Karol Wojtyla who was to become John Paul II was a part of those meetings, too. But in the end, the council left the church divided between those who wanted more reform and those who wanted to stick with tradition.

Those who knew both men will tell you that Pope Francis is now trying to heal that riff by canonizing two council participants who have come to represent those opposing views.

CARDINAL PAUL POUPARD: The pope is going to bring together in one ceremony the father of the council and the son who put it into action.

BITTERMANN (voice over): Others will tell you that the reason for creating two new saints is because they share Catholic values that makes them apt role models for our times.

But there`s another, perhaps less spiritual reason- (INAUDIBLE) reflected glory in the most literal sense of the term. But Pope Francis who`s already become more than most popular popes in modern church history to associate himself with two of his predecessors who are also admired can only enhance his reputation. Perhaps, strengthen the church.

In fact, Francis, John XXIII and John Paul II are three church superstars coming together for a one conanicomono (ph) certain to unite Catholics and perhaps, renew their faith. So, although Catholic Church already has thousands of Saints and adding two more might not seem like such a big deal, but that canonization of two popes takes on a historical, theological and popular significance, many church fathers hope will give new energy to a most ancient organization. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.