Vatican City, May 14, 2019 / 05:53 am
Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Blessed Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil's poor.
With the pope's approval of a second miracle attributed to her intercession, Bl. Dulce can be canonized, according to the May 14 announcement. Pope Francis approved the next steps in the causes after meeting with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Sr. Dulce was born as Maria Rita to an upper middle-class family in Salvador, Brazil in 1914. Her mother died when she was six years old. At the age of 13, an aunt took Maria Rita to see the poor area of the city, which left a strong impression on her, and from that time she began to care for the poor and beggars in her own neighborhood.
After graduating from high school at age 18, her father allowed her to join the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. For her religious name she took "Dulce," the name of her mother.