Mother Teresa will be declared a saint by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church in a canonisation ceremony in Vatican City on Sunday in the presence of over a lakh of her followers from all over the world.
Joy of the World, Pride of India
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday called Mother Teresa a “messiah” of the poor and a pillar of support for the weak as he said every Indian will take pride on her canonisation on 4 September 2016.
In his message on the eve of the canonisation ceremony to be done by Pope Francis at Vatican City, Mukherjee said Mother Teresa was an embodiment of compassion.
She dedicated her entire life to serving the poorest of the poor as well as the destitute and forsaken. Mother Teresa saw herself as ‘small pencil in the hands of the Lord’ and went about her work quietly, offering smiles and warm human gestures. Always dressed in a simple white, blue border sari, Mother Teresa undertook her work with great love and commitment. Mother Teresa provided dignity and respect to those who had been defeated by life. She was a messiah of the poor and a pillar of support for the weak and suffering. Her simple manners touched the hearts of millions of people of all faiths.Pranab Mukherjee, President of India
The President said her message of love continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Every citizen of India will take pride in the recognition being accorded to Mother Teresa for her service to humanity and God through this Canonisation. Let the example of Mother Teresa inspire all of us to dedicate ourselves to the welfare of mankind.Pranab Mukherjee, President of India
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Rome for the canonisation. She had tweeted before departure.
Steps to Sainthood
In 2003, Teresa was beatified by then Pope John Paul II in a fast-tracked process which is the first step to gaining Sainthood.
The traditional canonisation procedure requires at least two miracles.
- In 2002, the Vatican officially recognised a miracle she was said to have carried out after her death, namely the 1998 healing of a Bengali tribal woman, Monika Besra, who was suffering from an abdominal tumour.
- The second miracle was from Brazil, where a person had been healed miraculously as a result of her earlier prayers.
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