Rome -Pope Francis praised today the figure of Mother Teresa of Calcutta as a model of saintliness at the service of all through the reception and defense of human life.

In the homily given in the mass to canonize Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the saint of the poor as she is worldwide known, Pope Francis described her as a generous giver of divine mercy.

Before an audience of more than 100,000 people from around the world gathered in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Francis reiterated that Christian life is not a simple aid provided in a time of need.

'On the contrary, the commitment that the Lord asks, is a vocation to charity served with the life of every disciple of Christ, to grow each day in love', he said.

He urged those attending the ceremony to follow the example of the new saint of the Catholic Church to understand that 'our only pattern of action is free love' and reiterated Mother Teresa´s words when she said 'I may not speak your language, but I can smile', to express solidarity despite the language barriers.