Mother example of mercy to world: Fr William Nellikal

Chennai: Among the thousands of cheering men and women at the St. Peter’s Square, where the canonisation of Mother Teresa is happening Sunday morning, there will be at least a couple of Indian priests, feeling not only blessed by the joyous occasion but also pretty proud, in a patriotic sense.

“I wish I was also there to sing Mother Teresa’s praise along with our other fellow priests, but I cannot. I am working for the Vatican Radio and will be the link for our listeners in Kerala. The preparations for the canonisation have begun Saturday morning and the proceedings are so electrifying; they lift your spirits”, said Fr. William Nellikal, a priest from the Archdiocese of Yeratoly at Ernakulam, who is with the Vatican Radio in Rome.

According to him, the process for canonisation began at about 10 Friday morning when volunteers from across the world, including India, shared testimonies and sang praises of Mother Teresa. Pope Francis Petted Leo arrived at 10.30. “This is the Jubilee year of Mercy and they want to showcase her as the epitome of mercy and love.  Volunteers and sisters from various parts of India were present at the occasion. A Sister from Missionary of Charity in Kolkata shared her experiences of mercy especially during her difficult life in Lebanon.

She recollected her experiences of living without food for 10 days and how she was helped by common people in Lebanon, and how Mother Teresa had always been her guiding spirit”, Fr Nellikal told DC in a phone interview.

He said after listening to all those testimonies in praise of Mother Teresa for over 20 minutes, Pope Francis announced that the reason for declaring her as a Saint in this jubilee year of Mercy “is to showcase Mother Teresa as an example of mercy to the world”, said the priest from Kerala. He added that later the Sisters from Missionary of Charity and some children performed a Bengali dance, followed by a song by Indian pop sensation Usha Uthup.

Fr Nellikal said the final proceedings towards Mother Teresa’s canonisation will begin Sunday morning, around ten. There would be a massive procession of priests and other people from across the globe. After the First Word of the Prayer and the songs in her praise, Pope Francis will read from the Bible and will pronounce Mother Teresa a Saint. A high-level delegation from India, led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, will be present.