The Vatican says Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has recognized a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her elevation to sainthood.
Vatican officials said Friday that the pope has approved a decree that attributed a miracle to Mother Teresa's intercession.
The miracle named in the decree is the inexplicable cure in 2008 of a Brazilian man suffering from brain tumors. The man is said to have been cured after his wife prayed for Mother Teresa's intercession.
Italian media report the formal canonization ceremony is expected to take place in September 2016, making it one of the highlights of Pope Francis' so-called "Holy Year of Mercy."
Mother Teresa was famed for her lifetime of service to the poor, establishing homeless shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens and clinics around the world.
The ethnic Albanian was born in 1910 and lived in India for much of her life, where she founded a religious congregation called the Missionaries of Charity. She died in India in 1997, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and beloved international figure.
The first step toward making her a saint took place in 2002 when Mother Teresa was credited with the healing of a Bengali woman who suffered from tuberculosis and cancer.
