Mother Teresa to become saint amid criticism over miracles and missionaries

September 03, 2016 09:53

Half a million people are expected to attend the canonisation of Mother Teresa at the Vatican on Sunday, in a ceremony transmitted live to her adopted home of Kolkata and Catholic audiences worldwide.

The two-hour mass in St Peter's Square, led by Pope Francis almost 19 years after she died, will transform the diminutive nun who became a global icon for her work with the poor into Saint Teresa of Kolkata. But it will also reignite deep criticism of the order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, which according to detractors focused on the elevation, rather than the relief, of suffering.

Critics however have protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to send a 100-strong delegation, led by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, to Sunday's mass. An online petition said: "It boggles the mind that the foreign minister of a country whose constitution exhorts its citizens to have scientific temper would approve of a canonisation based on 'miracles'."

Hindu nationalists have claimed that Mother Teresa was a "soul harvester" who proselytised among the poor, and that she and her followers surreptitiously baptised the dying without their knowledge.

Read more HERE

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

RBI says 97.76% of Rs 2000 currency notes returned

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said 97.76 per cent of the Rs 2000 denomination banknotes have returned to the banking system, and only Rs 7,961 crore worth of the withdrawn notes are still with the public. On May 19, 2023,...

Cognizant March quarter net profit down 5.8% to $546 million

Nasdaq-listed IT services company Cognizant has reported a 5.8 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the March quarter to $546 million. The company in a release said its revenue guidance for the full year 2024 is...

No okay sought or given for Revanna's foreign travel: Govt

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said that no visa is required for diplomatic passport holders to travel to Germany.

Modi knew of Prajwal's crimes, let him flee country, says Rahul

Addressing election rallies in the district headquarters towns of Shivamogga and Raichur, Gandhi alleged that the prime minister was in the know about the sex scandal and he could have got Prajwal arrested within seconds but allowed him...

Defending champs India lose Thomas Cup quarters to China

Indian men's team failed to defend its title after going down fighting 1-3 to China