Queen Sofia at the canonisation of Mother Teresa

Queen Sofia of Spain at the canonisation ceremony for Mother Teresa at the Vatican 

September 4th 2016

(photo Casa Real Twitter)

Queen Sofia has attended the canonisation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta at a ceremony at the Vatican. She represented Spain at the service which brought together thirteen heads of state from around the world as well as thousands of pilgrims who came to see the Albanian born nun declared Saint Teresa.

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Queen Sofia met Mother Teresa several times. She accompanied her during her visit to Spain in 1986 and together they took part in the 10th International Congress on the Family which was held in Madrid in 1987. Sofia also visited Mother Teresa's homes in Calcutta and has a long relationship with the Sisters of Charity, the saint's order, in both India and Spain.

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Queen Sofia led a large Spanish delegation at the canonisation ceremony. Before the service started, Sofia met Pope Francis.  The queen wore privilege du blanc, which allows certain Catholic royals to wear white in the presence of the Pope rather than the traditional black.

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Queen Sofia also met Spanish people in Rome at her country's embassy before her visit came to an end. It is the fifteenth time that Sofia has visited the Vatican and she was also there in 2014 for the canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.