Currents News Staff
On the third and last day of his visit, Pope Francis visited a Memorial dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in her native town, Skopje, in North Macedonia.
There he was received by two sisters and a girl who presented him flowers.
The Pope prayed before the relics of Mother Teresa and five candles representing the country’s five religious confessions. Afterwards, he prayed to the saint.
“St. Mother Teresa, mother of the poor, we ask for your special intercession and help, here in this city where you were born, where your home was,” said Francis.
He then greeted the religious leaders and two cousins of Mother Teresa.
He heard testimonies from the community’s superior and a single mother who sought the help of the missionaries when she was deciding whether to have her daughter or not.
“Many times, I ask myself, ‘If the sisters had not been here by our side, what would have happened to our life, mine and my daughter?’ Thank you, Holy Father, for visiting us,” said the single mother.
“Dear Holy Father, we thank you for coming. We are here in Skopje, a place very dear to all of us. This is because here was born a great saint, Mother Teresa. We are among the poorest of the poor and as St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said ‘The poor are great people,” added the community superior.
Francis was also presented with an image of himself with Mother Teresa.
Pope Francis blessed the first stone of the shrine in honor of the saint. He gave the superior of the community this ceramic plaque of the Blessed Mother with baby Jesus in her arms as a symbol of the “way of salvation”.
Before leaving to preside at Mass, Pope Francis took time out to greet more than a hundred poor people. They receive help from the Missionaries of Charity who follow the example of Mother Teresa.