✣ Mother Teresa to be canonised in September
What happened? The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Calcutta a saint on September 4, the conclusion of the Year of Mercy jubilee for those engaged in works of mercy. The date was announced during an ordinary public consistory – a meeting of the Pope, cardinals and promoters of Causes concluding the sainthood process. The Pope also set dates for the canonisations of Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski of Poland and Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden. What the British media are saying The BBC painted a mixed picture of the saint, noting: “She achieved worldwide acclaim for her work in Kolkata’s slums, but her critics accused her of pushing a hardline Catholicism, mixing with dictators and accepting funds from them for her charity.” It suggested that her beatification was “rushed through” by Pope St John Paul II. The Daily Telegraph highlighted her opposition to “terminations” and reported that the late Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini “fell under her spell”. The newspaper quoted Pasolini as saying: “She has an almost virile jaw and a gentle eye that in its gaze ‘sees’.” He added that she was a combination of “goodness without sentimentality, someone with no expectations who is both calm and calming, powerfully practical.” What Catholics are saying Jim Towey, president of Ave Maria University and a friend of Mother Teresa, told the Catholic Saints Guy blog that “anyone who turns Mother into a plastic statue is making a mistake”. He said: “She loved music, she loved poetry, she loved people. She liked chocolate ice cream and candies and had a great sense of humour. She was remarkably alive and joyful and focused, even though she was battling that inner desolation that we learned of after her death.” Meanwhile, Kevin.D. Williams at National Review said visiting the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta played a part in his conversion. He wrote: “I was left with a deep and unshakeable impression that something serious was going on ... There was a simplicity in Mother Teresa’s vision – but it isn’t simple. It is profound.”
