A British nun who converted to the Catholic faith during a visit to Malta in 1850 has been moved closer to canonization, the Catholic Herald has reported.

Pope Francis formally declared that Mother Mary Veronica of the Passion, a Carmelite nun, lived a life of heroic virtue.

The decree opens the way for the search for two miracles first to declare her blessed and then to canonise her.

Born Sophie Leeves in 1823 in Constantinople to an Anglican chaplain and the daughter of a colonel in the British army, Mother Mary Veronica founded the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel, a religious congregation of Carmelite nuns based in India.

As a teenager Ms Leeves felt drawn to the Catholic Church and later broke off an engagement to marry a naval officer.

She converted to the Catholic faith when she was 27 during a visit to Malta in 1850.

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