Rev. Henry D'Souza, the archbishop of Calcutta, said he would preside over the closing session of the inquiry on Aug. 15. After receiving all the evidence, the Vatican normally takes two or three years to decide on canonization, D'Souza said. But for Mother Teresa, the Vatican may take less time. Pope John Paul II waived the customary five-year waiting period to start the process leading to her possible declaration as a saint. Gathering proof within dioceses about Mother Teresa is a first step toward beatification, which requires confirmation of a miracle.
Sainthood requires certification of another miracle.
A patient in Raiganj in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal claimed that a tumor disappeared after receiving blessings from Mother Teresa. In another case, a French woman in the United States who broke several ribs in a car accident reportedly healed when she wore a Mother Teresa medallion around her neck. Many of the nuns in Calcutta's Missionaries of Charity, set up by Mother Teresa, contributed to the inquiry which began in July 1999. Comments are posted to a user forum, which can be accessed by other users. It is not a private communication.