ROME - 15 October 2003 - 207 words

Mother Teresa's nuns set up camp in Rome

Claire Bergin

Running out of convent space, members of Mother Teresa's order have set up tents for hundreds of their sisters pouring into Rome this week

More than 450 Missionaries of Charity nuns from all corners of the world are expected join hundreds of thousands of pi;grims at the ceremony in St Peter's Square, according to Sr Nirmala, Mother Teresa's successor as leader of the congregation.

The nuns asked Civil Defence officials to lend them tents usually used to shelter those made homeless by disasters such as floods and earthquakes.

One bright yellow tent has been turned into a makeshift chapel because all the visiting nuns can't fit into the small, simple chapel on convent grounds.

The nuns will have a special audience with the Holy Father the day after the ceremony. "We'd like to thank him and congratulate him for his 25 years of his wonderful pontificate," Sr Nirmala said, referring to the Silver Jubilee celebrations this week.

By the time of her death, Mother Teresa had established 594 centres to nurse and comfort the sick and dying around the world. The order has recently established ten communities in new countries including Kazakhstan, Israel, Finland and New Zealand.

Contact Independent Catholic News tel/fax: +44 (0)20 7267 3616 or email

Back to top of page

Back to World News

 Links to other sites •  Letters

© Independent Catholic News 2003