Pope Signs Off on Mother Teresa's 2nd Miracle

Mother Teresa is set to finish 2016 as one of the Catholic Church's newest saints after a big decision from Pope Francis. The missionary, who spent most of her life working with the poor in India, was beatified in 2003, and the AP reports that Pope Francis has now attributed a second miracle to her, clearing the final barrier to sainthood. The Vatican says Francis signed off on the miracle Thursday during a meeting with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which serves as the Vatican's office in charge of saint-making.

The decision was first reported in Italian newspaper Avvenire, which Reuters notes has been "well informed about similar stories in the past." The miracle that Francis signed off on involved a 35-year-old man in Brazil who was near death from a brain infection in 2008 and made an incredible recovery after relatives, including his new bride, prayed to Mother Teresa, according to Avvenire. The Vatican hasn't announced a date for Teresa's canonization, but it's expected to be in early September, to coincide with the date of the nun's death in 1997 at the age of 87, reports the AP. (A Rhode Island bishop tried to get Mother Teresa elected as governor.)