Revered and renowned for her work with the poor of India, Mother Teresa, has been proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims had flocked to St Peter’s Square for the Mass and canonisation.
Two miraculous cures of the sick after Mother Teresa’s death in 1997 have been attributed to her intercession.
In India, a special Mass was celebrated at the Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded in Kolkata.
Many pilgrims arrived at the Vatican before dawn on Sunday to get a good spot among the masses for the ceremony.
Cardinal Angelo Amato read a brief biography of Mother Teresa’s work, then asked the Pope to canonise her in the name of the Church.
Pope Francis responded: “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 to be a saint and we enrol her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church.”
BBC reports that hundreds of Missionaries of Charity sisters attended the event, along with 13 heads of state or government.
Some 1,500 homeless people across Italy were also brought to Rome in buses to be given seats of honour at the celebration – and then a pizza lunch served by 250 nuns and priests of the Sisters of Charity order.
One pilgrim, Charlotte Samba from Gabon, told Associated Press: “Her heart, she gave it to the world. Mercy, forgiveness, good works. It is the heart of a mother for the poor.”
Large TV screens were set up at Mother House in Kolkata (Calcutta) for the Vatican ceremony.
Senior sister at the Mother House, Mary Lysa, said: “It’s a day of rejoicing, a day of gratitude and a day of many, many blessings.”
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