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28 March 2024

Pope Francis proclaims Mother Teresa a saint

A tapestry depicting Mother Teresa of Calcutta is seen in the facade of Saint Peter's Basilica during a mass, celebrated by Pope Francis, for her canonisation in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican September 4, 2016. Pic: Reuters

Published
By Reuters

Pope Francis proclaimed Mother Teresa of Calcutta a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, 19 years after her death.

Thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square applauded as the tiny nun known as the "saint of the gutters" in her lifetime was officially elevated to join the Church's more than 10,000 saints.

Francis's predecessor Pope John Paul II bent Vatican rules to fast-track Mother Teresa to sainthood - a process which usually does not start until five years after the candidate's death - two years after she died in 1997.