Mother Teresa of Calcutta, known worldwide for her dedication to helping the poor, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church next year.
Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, was beatified by then-Pope John Paul II in 2003, a status that requires the one miracle. To become a saint, a pontiff must recognize a second miracle, and Pope Francis announced this week that he has attributed that
second miracle to Mother Teresa, Reuters reported.
On Thursday, Pope Francis signed the decree for Mother Teresa and recognized the heroic
virtues of three others, according to the Catholic News Service.
The date for the canonization ceremony has not been officially stated, but CNS said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Vatican office that organizes the Holy Year of Mercy events, declared it would be Sept. 4, 2016.
The second miracle acknowledged by the Pope was the healing of a 42-year-old man in Brazil who was diagnosed with multiple brain abscesses, and was in a coma, CNS reported. The family said they prayed to Blessed Teresa and, when the man was taken in for an operation, the surgeon found him in the operating room, awake and alert.
The man reportedly no longer showed any symptoms of the brain infection.
Mother Teresa is a much-beloved figure throughout the world, representing devotion and love for the poor. She began the Missionaries of Charity order, which continues to operate today.
The news that she will become a saint was received with joy by many.
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