c. 1999 Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY _ Pope John Paul II has given the archbishop of Calcutta permission to begin the process of making Mother Teresa a saint less than 18 months after her death, the Vatican said Monday (March 1).

The Vatican announced that the pope has waived the five-year waiting period normally required between a death and the opening of the process toward sainthood.

Mother Teresa, the Albanian-born nun who founded the Sisters of Charity missionary order and won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor and destitute in Calcutta, died in September 1997 at the age of 87.

The Vatican statement said John Paul, who often received Mother Teresa at the Vatican during her last years, waived the waiting period last year at the request of Archbishop Henry Sebastian D’Souza of Calcutta”and numerous other prelates.” It said the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints authorized D’Souza on Dec. 12 to”start the investigation into beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.””Now it is up to the archbishop of Calcutta to complete all the preliminary acts in order to then constitute the (diocesan) tribunal that will interrogate the witnesses and collect the respective documentation on the life and the virtues of the servant of God,”the statement said.

Beatification is the last step before the canonization of a saint.

The process begins with the recognition of a candidate’s”heroic virtues.”The pope then declares the candidate”venerable,”or worthy of veneration by Catholics.

For beatification, it must be proved that the intercession of the candidate has caused a miracle for which science has no explanation. This often consists of curing an otherwise fatal ailment. Two miracles are required for sainthood.

D’Souza has said he hopes Mother Teresa can be declared a saint in the year 2000.

DEA END POLK