Pope Francis proclaims Mother Teresa a saint at canonisation ceremony in Vatican City
The pontiff said Saint Teresa of Calcutta shamed world leaders for the 'crimes of poverty they themselves created'.
Catholic missionary Mother Teresa is now Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis at a ceremony at the holy St Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday, where thousands gathered for the mass, a day before her 19th death anniversary. Saint Teresa shamed world leaders for the "crimes of poverty they themselves created", Pope Francis said, adding that spent her life "bowing down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road..."
A special mass was organised at the Kolkata centre of the Missionaries of Charity, the organisation she led, where three giant screens were put up to watch the beatification. She carried out a large part of her charity work in Kolkata. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are attending the ceremony, as well.
Around 1,500 homeless people from across Italy were brought to the Vatican and given seats of honour to witness the occasion. A special lunch has been organised for them, where they will be served pizza by 250 nuns and priests of the Sisters of Charity order, BBC reported.
On Saturday, the pontiff hailed Mother Teresa as the “mercy of our times” for her work with the poor and suffering, saying her work has made “the love of Christ visible”. The pope added that she deserves sainthood and looks forward to pronouncing her “Saint Teresa of Calcutta”.
IndiaPost has released a commemorative postage stamp on the missionary to celebrate her canonisation. Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha unveiled the stamp at a ceremony at Mumbai's Divine Child High School, an official statement said, according to PTI.