Would be nice if Mother Teresa made saint in 2016: Vatican

There’s been speculation the nun who worked with the destitute and dying in India would be made saint by Pope Francis in a ceremony during the Holy Year, which runs from Dec. 8 till Nov. 20, 2016. The Italian bishops conference daily Avvenire on Wednesday, citing Italian news agency AGI, called Sept. 4 a “probable” date.

A Vatican official says it’s too soon to say if Mother Teresa will be made a saint during the 2016 Holy Year of Mercy.

Nuns of Missionaries of Charity sing a hymn as a portrait of Mother Teresa hangs from a balcony during a congregation to mark her death anniversary in Kolkata. (HT File Photo)

There’s been speculation the nun who worked with the destitute and dying in India would be made saint by Pope Francis in a ceremony during the Holy Year, which runs from Dec. 8 till Nov. 20, 2016. The Italian bishops conference daily Avvenire on Wednesday, citing Italian news agency AGI, called Sept. 4 a “probable” date.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi stressed that Francis still needs to approve a miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession before she can become a saint. Lombardi said canonization “would be lovely” and called the possibility she would be made a saint next year a “reasonable hypothesis, desire” by admirers.