Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who devoted her life to helping India's poor, has been declared a saint in a canonization mass held by Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Pope Francis delivered the formula for the Albanian-born nun's canonization before huge crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday morning.
Applause broke out before he completed the formula, which decreed that the nun, viewed by Catholics as a model of compassion, be venerated as a saint "by the whole church."
Catholics had gathered from around the world to attend the canonization mass in the Vatican, where a large image of Mother Teresa hung from St. Peter's Basilica.
An image of Mother Teresa hangs from the facade of St. Peter's in the Vatican.
Speeding up sainthood
Most of the Catholic Church's saints or blessed people are honored decades, if not centuries, after their deaths. Traditionally, there is a mandatory five-year waiting period before formal evaluation of a candidate for beatification can begin.
Mother Teresa's devotees began pressing the Vatican soon after her death to speed up the nun's sainthood cause, saying her holiness was clear to many around the world. Pope John Paul II granted the special dispensation in 1999, and the procedure began.
The pope waived the waiting period in part, some believe, because of her fame and reputation.
John Paul II further paved the way for her beatification in 2002, when he approved a miracle attributed to Mother Teresa after her death.
The approved miracle involved Monica Besra, a 30-year-old Kolkata woman who said praying to the nun cured a stomach tumor. The Vatican committee said in October 2002 that it could find no "scientific explanation" for the woman's recovery.
"I took doctors' medicines, threw up and was in a lot of pain. But when I prayed to Mother Teresa from my heart, Mother Teresa blessed me and now I am healthy," Besra told CNN last week.
"My entire village and I am very happy that she is being made a saint."
Pope Francis formally announced that Mother Teresa would be declared a saint in March 2016, when he recognized a second miracle attributed to her.
A Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors was healed after loved ones prayed to Mother Teresa to heal him, according to Avvenire, a newspaper affiliated to the Catholic Church.
Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity wait in St. Peter's Square.
'Saint of the gutters'
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910, Mother Teresa set up her Missionaries of Charity in the slums of Kolkata in 1950 and made her headquarters in the Indian city for nearly half a century.
When a legendary photographer met an iconic missionary
Her small figure in a white-and-blue sari and sandals became familiar around the world. She died in Kolkata in 1997 at age 87.
Known as the "Saint of the Gutters" for her unending work and compassion for the poor, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said her spirit and the respect she had for the worth and dignity of human beings inspired constructive efforts to do away with hunger and poverty.
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
6 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
7 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
8 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
9 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
10 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
11 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
1 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
2 of 11
However, Mother Teresa's legacy has been criticized. Her critics say her charity isn't financially accountable and volunteers aren't properly trained. And some doctors claim Besra was healed by modern medicine, not by prayer.
READ: Mother Teresa, my mom
The nuns and priests from the Missionaries of Charity continue her work around the world, including some ex-communist countries where she was banned. Her order has offices in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia, as well as Hong Kong and Russia.
A group of nuns will travel to the Vatican for the canonization ceremony, and those who remain in Kolkata will mark the day with prayers of thanks.
Pope Francis delivered the formula for the Albanian-born nun's canonization before huge crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday morning.
Applause broke out before he completed the formula, which decreed that the nun, viewed by Catholics as a model of compassion, be venerated as a saint "by the whole church."
Catholics had gathered from around the world to attend the canonization mass in the Vatican, where a large image of Mother Teresa hung from St. Peter's Basilica.
An image of Mother Teresa hangs from the facade of St. Peter's in the Vatican.
Speeding up sainthood
Most of the Catholic Church's saints or blessed people are honored decades, if not centuries, after their deaths. Traditionally, there is a mandatory five-year waiting period before formal evaluation of a candidate for beatification can begin.
Mother Teresa's devotees began pressing the Vatican soon after her death to speed up the nun's sainthood cause, saying her holiness was clear to many around the world. Pope John Paul II granted the special dispensation in 1999, and the procedure began.
The pope waived the waiting period in part, some believe, because of her fame and reputation.
John Paul II further paved the way for her beatification in 2002, when he approved a miracle attributed to Mother Teresa after her death.
The approved miracle involved Monica Besra, a 30-year-old Kolkata woman who said praying to the nun cured a stomach tumor. The Vatican committee said in October 2002 that it could find no "scientific explanation" for the woman's recovery.
"I took doctors' medicines, threw up and was in a lot of pain. But when I prayed to Mother Teresa from my heart, Mother Teresa blessed me and now I am healthy," Besra told CNN last week.
"My entire village and I am very happy that she is being made a saint."
Pope Francis formally announced that Mother Teresa would be declared a saint in March 2016, when he recognized a second miracle attributed to her.
A Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors was healed after loved ones prayed to Mother Teresa to heal him, according to Avvenire, a newspaper affiliated to the Catholic Church.
Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity wait in St. Peter's Square.
'Saint of the gutters'
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910, Mother Teresa set up her Missionaries of Charity in the slums of Kolkata in 1950 and made her headquarters in the Indian city for nearly half a century.
When a legendary photographer met an iconic missionary
Her small figure in a white-and-blue sari and sandals became familiar around the world. She died in Kolkata in 1997 at age 87.
Known as the "Saint of the Gutters" for her unending work and compassion for the poor, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said her spirit and the respect she had for the worth and dignity of human beings inspired constructive efforts to do away with hunger and poverty.
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
6 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
7 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
8 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
9 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
10 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
11 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
1 of 11
Photos: Mother Teresa: The 'Saint of the Gutters' in her own words
Show Caption
2 of 11
However, Mother Teresa's legacy has been criticized. Her critics say her charity isn't financially accountable and volunteers aren't properly trained. And some doctors claim Besra was healed by modern medicine, not by prayer.
READ: Mother Teresa, my mom
The nuns and priests from the Missionaries of Charity continue her work around the world, including some ex-communist countries where she was banned. Her order has offices in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia, as well as Hong Kong and Russia.
A group of nuns will travel to the Vatican for the canonization ceremony, and those who remain in Kolkata will mark the day with prayers of thanks.
Mother Teresa Declared A Saint Before Huge Crowd In The Vatican - Religion
Reviewed by Constance
on
September 04, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Constance
on
September 04, 2016
Rating:
No comments:
Post a Comment