NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      CALCUTTA (CWNews.com) - Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity said on Tuesday that they welcomed Popr John Paul II's waiver of the requirement for a five-year waiting period before the cause for her canonization could begin.

      Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta announced earlier this week that the Holy Father had given permission last December for the diocese to begin its part in opening the investigation that could lead to Mother Teresa's canonization. The archbishop has said he is seeking the advice of the Nobel laureate's successor, Sister Nirmala, on the appointment of a postulator.

      The postulator's role is to report on the facts of the potential saint's life, giving examples of exceptional holiness, and to also report on indications of miracles in which she was involved. One certified miracle is needed for beatification and a second is required for canonization.

      Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 after serving first the poor of Calcutta, then the poor of India, and finally poor people throughout the world for over four decades.