Watch: The exact moment Mother Teresa was canonised as Saint Teresa of Calcutta
We will still be tempted to call her Mother Teresa, said the Pope.
The moment #PopeFrancis declared #MotherTeresa a saint. That's that! #BeMercy @cnalive pic.twitter.com/kXUsjNCQSr
— Alan Holdren (@AlanHoldren) September 4, 2016
To the steadily rising decibel of thousands of attendees clapping, Pope Francis declared the Mother Teresa a saint. The ceremony took place in the Vatican on Sunday, and tens of thousands of pilgrims made their way to witness the ceremony. The BBC reported that 1,500 homeless were brought in buses to the event and give a seat of honour.
Thousands gather at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City to witness the canonisation ceremony of #MotherTeresa pic.twitter.com/44Hzq0DB4L
— ANI (@ANI_news) September 4, 2016
In videos below, a packed crowd can be seen waiting for the eventual moment. Flags of a diverse group of nations, including the Indian tricolour, can be seen being waved amidst the sea of people.
Tens of thousands have gathered at the Vatican for the canonisation of Mother Teresa https://t.co/BJQgTBYdCq
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 4, 2016
There is no official numbers yet, the organizators are expecting about 300 000 pilgrims. #BeMercy #MotherTeresa pic.twitter.com/FoM8Iy6oys
— Алексей (@go_alexey) September 4, 2016
While it usually takes decades for someone to receive sainthood, Mother Teresa's canonisation was accelerated by the Catholic Church. Here, Sky News visits Monica Besra, who said that praying to Mother Teresa caused tumours in her stomach to disappear.
This woman said that praying to Mother Teresa cured her stomach tumours https://t.co/YMMNUxRhSA
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 4, 2016
Indian contingents, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and External Affairs Ministers Sushma Swaraj were also in attendance. Banerjee used her free time to do some sightseeing in the area.
@MEAIndia @SushmaSwaraj at canonization of mother teresa pic.twitter.com/3HKcZaplL7
— francis lazar (@francislazar4) September 4, 2016
I visited the Vatican and some historical places of Rome. Some pictures are uploaded here for all of you pic.twitter.com/0953r3MOSP
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 4, 2016