Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint

Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint in a solemn ceremony in St. Peter's Square. The canonization of Mother Teresa, the patron saint of the poor and helpless, was eagerly awaited by millions of people around the world touched by her mercy, reports 24sata.hr, according to the Patria agency.

Mother Teresa was declared a saint the day before the anniversary of her death, and she passed away on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87.

She was declared blessed in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, and two miracles officially confirmed by the Pope were required for her to become a saint.

The Vatican recognized two miraculous healings attributed to her intercession. The first in 2002 when an Indian woman recovered from a tumor, and last year in December, Pope Francis recognized another miraculous healing in Brazil.

In 1950, Mother Teresa received permission to start her own order, the Missionaries of Charity, with the aim of caring for those who had no one to care for them. The order now has 4,500 sisters and operates in 133 countries.

She took sick, desperate, abandoned people of all faiths from the streets and brought them to the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) hospice, where they received dignified palliative care.