Pope Francis’s denouncement of modern-day indifference to hunger, exploitation and other sufferings is a commentary on the deterioration of values across the world (“Pope hails volunteers on eve of canonisation”, Sept.4). The day of Mother Teresa’s canonisation should be celebrated as one to ensure the betterment of the lives of the poor and the sick.
M.V. Nagavender Rao,Hyderabad
I don’t believe that Saint Teresa served people only with the intention of “converting them”. It was a part of her personality to help people. Religions are only different ways of reaching god and Saint Teresa gave the downtrodden and the sick great hope.
Canin Peter,Ernakulam
The arguments against her suitability to attain sainthood are not commensurate with the noble work that she did. Her ardent critics must ponder over how she was awarded the Peace Nobel, the Magsaysay Award and the Bharat Ratna. Wouldn’t the three awarding bodies have taken cognisance of the “allegations” against her before arriving at a decision to recognise her work? I wonder how many of us in such circumstances would even care to touch a leprosy patient or care for a deeply wounded, dying person. Her policy against abortion was not her own but in tune with her adherence to the philosophy of the Catholic Church. Finally, if Saint Mother Teresa’s original objective was to convert people, then half of Calcutta’s population would have turned Christian.
A. Clement,Chennai
The allegations against Mother Teresa cannot be ignored. Her moves to promote conversion come first. Her shelters were also said to have “a shortage of medical care, hardly any stock of necessary nutrition, as well as the scarcity of analgesics for those in pain”. She seemed keen to “glorify illness instead of treating it”. One also needs to investigate the so-called miracles. The funding of such missionaries needs to be probed.
Jai Prakash Gupta,Ambala Cantt., Haryana
Though there is no need to be needlessly enamoured by the bestowal of sainthood on the Mother, she did show the world what it is like to die in dignity. Mahatma Gandhi taught Indians the value of non-violence but one struggles to find the Mother Teresa in him. However, she is said to have had many autocratic traits which included scrutinising the letters nuns wrote and received and making them work long hours. Accepting money from tyrants was also something that did not conform to the Christian spirit.
K.P. Prabhakaran Nair,Kozhikode
