Mother Teresa is Proclaimed as Saint of Calcutta in Rome
Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church will canonise the ‘Saint of the Gutters’ in a ceremony today.
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Mother Teresa was proclaimed the Saint of Calcutta in a canonisation ceremony by the Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
Thousands of pilgrims and nuns belonging to Missionaries of Charity thronged the St. Peter’s Square. Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj along with an Indian delegation also attended the ceremony.
Pope Francis is following in the footsteps of Mother Teresa by offering some 1,500 homeless people a pizza lunch at the Vatican after her canonisation Mass.
Among others, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Derek o’ Brien were also present at the ceremony.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha unveiled a commemorative postage stamp to honour Mother Teresa.
In a ceremony witnessed by millions all over the world, Pope Francis proclaimed Mother Teresa as the Saint of Calcutta.
Celebrations Erupt in Kolkata and Delhi
Nuns shed tears of joy and hugged each other, amid euphoric scenes at the Mother House, global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity.
In Delhi, Sacred Heart Cathedral marked the canonisation by distributing food to the homeless.
Pope Francis To Feed Pizza to Homeless In Honour of Mother Teresa
Pope Francis has offered 1,500 homeless people pizza lunch in the Vatican City. The homeless, most of whom live in shelters run by Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity order, came to Rome overnight on buses from across Italy to take part in Sunday’s Mass. They’re getting seats of honour for the celebration and will then be served lunch in the lobby of the Vatican auditorium. A Neapolitan pizza maker brought 20 people and three pizza ovens to cook the lunch, which will be served to the guests by some 250 sisters and priests of the Sisters of Charity order.
The ceremony was streamed live here:
Mother Teresa’s Relic is Placed at the Altar of Vatican
A relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, her blood, is placed at the altar at the Vatican.
Cardinal Angelo Amato Approaches the Pope With Petition to Enrol Her Among Saints
The Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato approaches the Pope with the petition to enrol her among the saints who can be invoked by the faithful. He uses the formula,
Pilgrims and Nuns Throng St. Peter’s Square
Sushma Swaraj at the Canonisation Ceremony
External Affairs Minister arrives in Rome for the canonisation of Mother Teresa.
Arvind Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas Reach Rome
Earlier, Kumar Vishwas had tweeted that they would be departing for Rome to witness the canonisation.
Mamata Banerjee Arrives in Vatican City
Singing popular Bengali devotional songs, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked with members of her delegation to St. Peter’s Basilica to participate in the canonisation of Mother Teresa.
Sporting a white saree with blue border, much like what the Nobel Laureate used to wear, Banerjee - flanked by Trinamool Congress parliamentarians Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien among others - covered the six kilometre distance from Rome to the St. Peter’s Basilica doing a traditional Bengali “prabhat pheri” (morning choir).
Postage Stamp Released
To celebrate the canonisation of Mother Teresa as a saint, Union Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha unveiled a commemorative postage stamp.
‘A Messiah of Poor’, Says President Pranab Mukherjee
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday called Mother Teresa a “messiah” of the poor and a pillar of support for the weak and said that every Indian will take pride on her canonisation on 4 September 2016.
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