Pope Francis on Tuesday formally announced that Mother Teresa will be made a saint on September 4. In December, he had had cleared the path for her canonisation as a saint. The Nobel peace laureate died in 1997 at 87, and was known extensively for her work with the poor.

The pope made the announcement after a meeting of cardinals at the Vatican on Tuesday. Mother Teresa was the best known of the five people who will be declared saints in September. While the Pope is likely to preside over the ceremony in Rome, there have been several appeals from the Catholic Church in India to hold the proceedings in Kolkata, where she did a most of her charity work with the poor, sick and homeless and was buried after her death. A thanksgiving ceremony is expected to be held in Kolkata after the ceremony.

While many from the faith have rejoiced at the news since she was beatified in 2003, others have been more critical of Mother Teresa. Several academics have alleged that she misused funds given to her charities, and said that she was a Catholic evangelist with hardline views on abortion, divorce and contraception, The Guardian reported.