Pope Francis canonizes Mother Teresa, India's 'saint of the gutters'

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the "saint of the gutters" who spent years working among India's most destitute, was formally canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church on Sunday in a ceremony led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The service was attended by an estimated 120,000 people and included a pizza lunch for 1,500 homeless people in Teresa's name.

"For Mother Teresa, mercy was the salt which gave flavor to her work, it was the light which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering," Francis said, describing the new saint as a "dispenser of divine mercy" who held the powerful accountable "for the crimes of poverty they created."

Though Teresa's legacy has come under criticism in the years since her death, most notably from atheist writer Christopher Hitchens, she is widely viewed as an inspirational model of self-sacrificial service. "Her heart, she gave it to the world," said Charlotte Samba, who traveled to the mass from Gabon, on Africa's Atlantic coast. "Mercy, forgiveness, good works: It is the heart of a mother for the poor."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up