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Calcutta archbishop to petition pope for canonisation of Mother Teresa

The archbishop of Calcutta will petition Pope John Paul II seeking sainthood for Mother Teresa "in view of popular global opinion, especially after the landmark Vatican decision to do away with the mandatory five-year waiting period for canonisation".

Archbishop Henry D'Souza said he would submit the petition by July.

"I earlier wanted to petition the pope in 2000, but later decided to advance it to July to hasten the canonisation process which has already been put on the fast track following the pope's waiver of the five-year waiting period," he said.

The supreme pontiff had reportedly written to the archbishop on December 12 that he had scrapped the five-year rule introduced in 1983, and asked him to begin the paper work.

According to the rule, the process of canonisation could only begin five years after a person's death.

Following the revocation of the rule and with appeals from the clergy around the world, the archbishop said he intended to petition the Vatican in 2000 to grant Mother Teresa sainthood as it marks 2,000 years of the birth of Christ.

The archbishop's first task is to appoint a postulator who will study the mother's life and petition him to declare her a saint.

''The postulator is likely to be appointed in a week and then the process will really be hastened. The Missionaries of Charity will have to first choose the person to study her life and then I will make the appointment," the archbishop said.

He pointed out that the postulator, who should be close to the Missionaries of Charity, is likely to submit the petition as early as June. "Once I receive the petition, I will submit it immediately," he said.

UNI

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