Pope Francis gave final clearance for Mother Teresa — called “the saint of the gutters” for her work with the poor in India — to become an official saint. The pope signed a decree declaring that the inexplicable 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man who suddenly woke from a coma caused by a viral brain infection was due to the intercession of the Albanian nun. The pontiff’s action came three days after a Vatican panel of cardinals and bishops affirmed the judgment of medical experts and theologians who concluded that no medical explanation existed for the apparent cure. Church observers said Mother Teresa will likely be canonized on Sunday, Sept. 4, the day before the anniversary of her death in 1997.
Sainthood granted
January 25, 2016
