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.

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.

For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother Bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta be Saint and we enrol her among the Saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

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:

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.