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The beatification of Mother Teresa could take place "within months", paving the way for her to be declared a saint, the Archbishop in charge of investigating her case in India has said.
Archbishop of Calcutta Rev Henry D'Souza said the inquiry panel that has been gathering evidence of the nun's miracles for two years has completed its work, Sunday Telegraph reported.
It will send its findings to Rome in August and Pope John Paul II may declare her blessed -- the first step to sainthood -- in a very short time after that, he said.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa, who passed away in 1997, could thus be on course to be canonised faster than anyone in the 20th century.
The fastest beatification by the present Pope was that of Mgr Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, the founder of the controversial lay movement Opus Dei, who was declared blessed 17 years after his death.
The Vatican still has to scrutinise the evidence presented to it by the inquiry panel, a process that usually takes years, but the Archbishop said officials would significantly accelerate the process.
The case of Mother Teresa was boosted by the Pope three years ago when he waived the usual five-year gap after a person's death before his/her case for canonisation could be considered.
PTI
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