'Messiah' of the poor Mother Teresa now a saint

Mother Teresa was on Sunday declared a saint by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church at a canonisation ceremony in Rome's Vatican City.

Mother Teresa, the revered nun of Calcutta whose service to the poor and destitute made her a household name and an icon of 20th century humanitarian work, will now be known as Saint Teresa.

Mother Teresa, who died on September 5, 1997, has been proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, just 19 years after her death.

The canonization ceremony of Mother Teresa is currently taking place at St. Peter's Square where millions have gathered to witness her sainthood.

Millions of Catholics revere her as a model of compassion, and more than 100,000 people are attending the mid-morning ceremony in front of St Peter's Basilica, which is decked out with a canvas of the late nun in her trademark blue-hemmed white robes.

Pope Francis had in March announced that Mother Teresa, who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the streets in Kolkata, will be elevated to sainthood after the Church recognised two miracles attributed to her after her death.