Mother Teresa’s Funeral Route Extended

CALCUTTA — The route that Mother Teresa’s funeral cortege will take through Calcutta was lengthened Thursday to accommodate the thousands expected to bid farewell to the nun who dedicated her life to the city’s poor.

Foreign dignitaries, religious leaders and throngs of faithful are expected to crowd the indoor stadium where Saturday’s state funeral will take place. Thousands of people unable to get tickets to the service are expected to line the city’s streets for a final glimpse of the Nobel Peace Prize winner who died last Friday of a heart attack at the age of 87.

Organizers, however, said they were not certain how long the final route will be.

Meanwhile, the first step in her state tribute began Thursday morning when military officers draped the Indian flag over her body, which had been lying in state at St. Thomas Church in Calcutta since Sunday.

About 100 nuns of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity order, in their white-and-blue saris, murmured a prayer, barely audible above the hum of the air conditioning, as the soldiers gathered.

Several generals marched into the church carrying the large flag, turned smartly before the nun’s body and raised the flag over their heads. Then they advanced slowly, positioning the saffron, white and green banner. It was lowered and folded neatly, leaving Mother Teresa’s feet and face exposed.

Three high-ranking officers then took up positions behind the body in a vigil that will continue until Mother Teresa’s body is removed for her state funeral--an honor usually reserved for heads of state and government.

India’s Foreign Ministry said 23 countries will be represented at Mother Teresa’s funeral. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will lead the U.S. delegation. A team of U.S. lawmakers also will attend.

Mother Teresa is a “heroine of our times” who might swiftly become a saint, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said Thursday as he departed from Rome for her funeral. Sodano will lead her funeral Mass as the pope’s personal representative.

Thousands lined up Thursday to see her body, filing past at a rate of more than 50 mourners a minute. The daily ritual has taken on a quietly festive air, with vendors hawking snacks to mourners.

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‘Saint of the Gutter’

The state funeral for India’s beloved Mother Teresa began Thursday when high-ranking military officers took position around the body and covered it with India’s flag in a ceremony marking the beginning of military honors for the nun. The proceedings will culminate Saturday with a Roman Catholic funeral Mass and national day of mourning.

The procession: On Saturday, Mother Teresa’s flag-drapped coffin will be carried on a historic gun carriage from St. Thomas Church (1) to the Netaji Indoor Stadium (2) for a public funeral. The cortege will then retrace the route to Middleton Row (3) and continue on to the Missionaries of Charity headquarters (4) for burial.

Donations in Mother Teresa’s memory can be addressed to her religious order: Missionaries of Charity, 54A A.J.C. Bose Road, Calcutta, 700016, India.

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FUNERAL SCHEDULE

All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

* 8:30 p.m.: Mother Teresa’s body is taken by a military honor guard from St. Thomas Church to Netaji Indoor Stadium. Procession accompanying the cortege includes nuns, volunteers, and representatives from the communities Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity served.

* 9:30 p.m.: Catholic funeral Mass at the 12,000-seat stadium conducted by the papal delegation led by the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Sister Nirmala, Mother Teresa’s successor, speaks.

* 11:10 p.m.: Eulogy and laying of wreaths with Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan participating.

* Midnight: Military escorts cortege to the headquarters, or “mother house,” of the Missionaries of Charity.

* 1:15 a.m.: Procession stops near the grave site at the mother house. The military guard carries the coffin into the house. A 12-member rifle squad fires three volleys in lieu of the more traditional 21-gun salute.

* 2 a.m.: Private graveside services attended by church dignitaries conclude.

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TV COVERAGE

While West Coast viewers can see live coverage of Mother Teresa’s funeral on CNN, the Fox News Channel and MSNBC, the three major television networks will air their coverage of the events on a tape delay.

CNN: Special, “Mother Teresa: Mother of Mercy,” 7 p.m.; live coverage, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Fox News Channel: Live coverage, 8:30 p.m.-midnight.

MSNBC: Live coverage, 8 p.m. to conclusion.

ABC: “Nightline,” 11:35 p.m.-12:05 a.m.; taped coverage, 12:05 a.m. to conclusion.

CBS and NBC: Taped coverage, 12:35 p.m. to conclusion.