Mother Teresa to be made a saint

Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II waving to well-wishers, at the Nirmal Hriday Home, in Calcutta, 1986 Picture: Jean-Claude Delmas/ Getty Images

Pope Francis set the canonisation date, paving the way for the nun who cared for the poorest of the poor to become the centrepiece of his year-long focus on the Catholic Church’s merciful side.

The announcement was expected after Francis in December approved a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession - the final hurdle to make her a saint.

The actual date falls on the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death.