Mother Teresa to be declared saint next year

Kolkata, Dec 18: Mother Teresa will be canonised as saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 2016, the Missionaries of Charity said on Friday, a day after Pope Francis recognised a second miracle attributed to the Nobel laureate.

“Today (Friday) we received an official confirmation from the Vatican about the second miracle being recognised by the Pope and Mother will be accorded sainthood in 2016,” said Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity’s spokesperson Sunita Kumar.

Though the exact date is yet to be finalised, Sunita Kumar said Mother’s canonisation is likely to take place around September, 2016.

Italian daily Avvenire, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, reported that Pope Francis approved on Thursday a decree recognising a miracle attributed to Mother’s intercession with God.

“Going by media reports, the second miracle relates to a person in Brazil getting healed as a result of Mother’s prayers. The first case of miracle was in Kolkata,” added Kumar.

Born in Macedonia in 1910, Mother won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for the poor and the downtrodden.

Expressing happiness over the development, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Mother’s sainthood was a great honour for the state.

“She had dedicated all her life working for the poor, particularly in Kolkata. It’s a great honour for all the people that she is being bestowed with sainthood,” said Banerjee. (IANS)