VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Mother Teresa, the Albanian-born nun who worked among the poor of the Indian city of Calcutta, has had a miracle attributed to her by Pope John Paul's office, the Italian media reported.

A special Vatican committee found that Mother Teresa was involved in a miracle -- a key step in her beatification -- when a 30-year-old Calcutta woman was cured of a stomach tumour.

The reports said Monica Besra was healed after praying to Mother Teresa, who died in 1997 at the age of 87, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Vatican officials refused to comment on Tuesday.

After consulting with doctors, the Vatican panel found there was no "scientific explanation" for the woman's recovery, making it a miracle, the agency said.

The committee's findings will not become official until they are approved by Pope John Paul II. Monsignor Robert Sarno, who heads the panel, would say only that "the cause is under study."

If Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charities order that ministered to the poor and sick of Calcutta, is beatified, involvement in a second miracle will be needed before she is elevated to saint.

If the pope approves the panel's findings, it will speed up Mother Teresa's beatification, making it likely she will be declared a saint sometime next year.

Last month the committee decided Mother Teresa possessed "heroic virtues" of the Christian faith for her services to the poor.

"She was a real holy woman. She lived her life according to the Gospel in the most authentic way," Cardinal Pio Laghi told Reuters.

"She deserved the preferential, fast track to beatification."

Under church rules, five years must pass after a person dies before the long bureaucratic procedure for sainthood can begin. But in 1999, Pope John Paul II granted a dispensation so the procedure could start less than two years after her death.

Devotees of Mother Teresa began pressing the Vatican soon after her death to speed up the nun's sainthood cause, saying her holiness was clear to many around the world.

Her nuns and priests continue her work around the world, including some ex-communist countries where she was banned. Her order has offices in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia, as well as Hong Kong and Russia.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mother Teresa set up her order in the slums of Calcutta in 1950 and made her headquarters in the Indian city for nearly half a century.

Her small figure in a white-and-blue sari and sandals became familiar around the world. She was known to buttonhole politicians and executives and not let go until they promised to help the poor.
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kee asks:






slap the edit!
[This message was edited Tue Oct 1 11:44:09 PDT 2002 by SkletonKee]

someone check out mother teresa's financial dealings before making her a saint she's dirty.

Yet more laughable antics from the Catholic Church.

They don't have the right or authority to verify or attribute sainthoods or miracles to anyone.

Mr7 said:

they don't? hmmm... they've been doing it for a couple thousand years now. if not them, who?

I don't know about the other stuff, but she was a pretty terrific woman!

AaronForever said:

Nobody, really. The bible says that noone is righteous, and that all people are sinners. So that would mean there is no point in trying to elevate others.

SkletonKee said:
kee asks:

I was wondering that same thing when I read this last week.


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[This message was edited Tue Oct 1 14:09:19 PDT 2002 by Ifsixwuz9]

SkletonKee said:

The Church is obviously desperate to find miracles wherever they can. There aren't too many people receiving sainthoods these days. And with all the negativity surrounding the Catholic Church, they want something positive. They want to show that they can have good role models.

Raven said:

Actually, John Paul II is fast and loose with beatification (the last step before sainthood) and has been ever since he became pope in 1978. (I don't know how many saints he has actually made, but it's probably roughly as many members are left of the NPGMC.) JPII has beatified almost 1000 people, more than all of his predecessors over the past four centuries combined.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! I'm hoping mine comes through any day now.

2the9s said:

Although the only miracle I've performed recently was sitting through Rave Into (or Unto, I forget which) the Joy Fantastic.

2the9s said:

Saint 2the9s...I GRANT THEE!!!

SkletonKee said:

It almost wasn't worth it!

Baby Knows?? wtf?