Mother Teresa to be made saint at Vatican ceremony

VATICAN CITY -- Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Nobel peace laureate known as the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday.

More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to honor the tiny nun who worked among the world's neediest in the slums of the Indian city now known as Kolkata.

Her legacy fits neatly with Francis's vision of a poor church that strives to serve the poor, and the ceremony will be a highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy which runs until Nov. 8.

Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity (MoC) order have been criticized both during her life and since her death in 1997, but many Catholics revere her as a model of compassion.

Thousands attended a papal audience on Saturday in the Vatican, where a large canvas of the late nun in her blue-hemmed white robes hung from St. Peter's basilica.

"Her testimony makes us reflect and transform...and make a better world," Brazilian priest Carlos Jose Nacimento said.

Critics say she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty. Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens made a documentary about her called "Hell's Angel."

She was also accused of trying to convert the destitute in predominantly Hindu India to Christianity, a charge her mission has repeatedly denied.

But Pope John Paul II, who met her often, had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood, and put her on a fast track to elevation two years after her death instead of the usual five.

The Church defines as saints those believed to have led such holy lives they are now in Heaven and can intercede with God to perform miracles -- two of which are needed to confer sainthood.

She is credited with healing an Indian woman from stomach cancer in 1998 and a Brazilian man from a brain infection in 2008.

The canonization will also be celebrated in Skopje, the capital of modern Macedonia where Mother Teresa was born of Albanian parents in 1910 and became a nun aged 16.

In Kolkata, where the first MoC mission was set up in 1952, there will be prayers, talks and cultural events, but no major ceremony.

Delegations from at least 15 national governments are expected at the Vatican.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope scolds clergy over their part-time availability

VATICAN CITY - Clergymen should make themselves available to their flocks day and night instead of keeping visiting hours and relaxing once the church doors close, Pope Francis said Sunday.

"One who serves cannot hoard his free time; he has to give up the idea of being the master of his day," the pontiff said in a homily in Saint Peter's Basilica to mark the Church's Jubilee of Deacons.

"It deeply troubles me when I see a timetable in a parish: 'From such a time to such a time'. And then? There is no open door, no priest, no deacon, no layperson to receive people. This is not good," he said.

The 79-year old said clergymen should welcome "those who knock on those doors at odd hours, even if that entails setting aside something he likes to do or giving up some well-deserved rest".

He also stressed the importance of priests and deacons being mild-mannered, saying: "Never shout, never".

Deacons from around the world and their families convened in Rome this weekend to take part in special jubilee as part of Francis' Jubilee year which is dedicated to the theme of mercy.

In a shock move earlier this month, the Argentine pontiff said he would set up a commission to study the possibility of women entering the Catholic clergy as deacons, in a potentially historic move for the Church.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoy boy shares encounter with Pope Francis

ITALY – A seven-year old Filipino boy's Christmas was even made more meaningful after his encounter with Pope Francis in the Vatican.

Nathan Reyn Martin Gutierrez was among the eight children—four boys and four girls—who are of Korean, Filipino, Italian and Chinese descent selected to offer flowers during the Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

"Masaya," said the grade 2 pupil of Conrado Ferrini when asked about how he felt.

The boy felt even more blessed after Pope Francis gave him a kiss.

Guiterrez described the Pope as "kind and handsome".

Born in Italy, Gutierrez grew up in a religious family. They hear mass every Sunday at the Alliance of Two Hearts Vescovio Filipino Community.

"Pinalakas namin ang kanyang loob para hindi siya mahiya na maglakad sa maraming tao, iba-ibang lahi at iba-ibang nasyon," said his father, Erwin.

His mother Rebecca is equally proud of him.

"Proud din at masaya dahil sa lahat ng bata sa Italy ay siya ang napili na makaharap ang Papa at mag offer ng bulaklak," she said. Report from Jocelyn Ruiz, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com