It has been alleged that Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella revealed the fact that Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized during the Church's jubilee celebration next year. Speaking before municipal officials in Rome, the archbishop, who is also the head of the organizing committee for the Holy Year of Mercy in 2016, was said to have been quoted by the Italian media. But the Vatican has recently issued a statement saying the proposal is, in fact, unconfirmed.
"It is a working hypothesis, therefore there is no official confirmation to be given," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, as reported by Catholic Philly.
"The cause for Mother Teresa is still underway and it is therefore premature to speak of an already established date for the canonization," revealed Father Lombardi further.
Earlier, reports indicated the date of Mother Teresa's canonization was already set for Sept. 4, 2016, which is close to her death anniversary. Father Fisichella apparently expressed during the meeting that people are waiting for this to happen.
"Who more than Mother Teresa can be recognized today as one who lived the works of mercy, and who more than she could be capable of sustaining the commitment of millions of people – men, women, youth – in various forms of volunteer work express the beauty of the mercy of the Church?" Father Fisichella reportedly said, as reported by the Catholic News Agency.
One of the most revered holy people among Catholics, Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. Her case was an exception to the rule, as the beatification process normally begins five years after the death of the candidate and could take years for approval. Over 300,000 devotees witnessed the moment at St. Peter's Square, according to Crux Now.
Her canonization officially requires a second miracle. But Pope Francis has already issued some derivatives to waive the process for sainthood, categorizing this as "equivalent or equipollent canonizations" says the Catholic Philly report. The pontiff has actually granted at least seven equivalent or equipollent canonizations in the past.
Blessed Mother Teresa was born in Aug. 26, 1910 in Macedonia as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. As a young child, she was exposed to charity work through Sodality, a Jesuit youth group. She entered the convent to become a nun, but due to tuberculosis, Mother Teresa was asked to rest. It was during these times that she felt God calling to her to leave the convent and become a missionary nun instead.
She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, which provides refuge for the sick, the poor and abandoned children. Today, the religious order is present in over 133 countries, helping and educating orphaned children, establishing soup kitchens and caring for people with HIV/AIDs and leprosy.
