Vatican City, Sept 4 (Reuters): Pope Francis proclaimed Mother Teresa of Calcutta a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, 19 years after her death.

Thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square applauded as the tiny nun known as the “saint of the gutters” in her lifetime was officially elevated to join the Church's more than 10,000 saints.

Francis's predecessor Pope John Paul II bent Vatican rules to fast-track Mother Teresa to sainthood - a process which usually does not start until five years after the candidate's death - two years after she died in 1997.