Mother Teresa

2.1. Birth and Family

Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Üsküp, then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, which is now Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. She was baptized in Skopje the day after her birth, on August 27, a date she later considered her "true birthday." Her given name, Anjezë, is a cognate of Agnes, while Gonxhe means "flower bud" or "small flower" in Albanian.

She was the youngest of three children born to Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu (Bernai). Her father, Nikollë, was a prominent local businessman and an Albanian independence activist involved in Albanian-community politics in Ottoman Macedonia. He died suddenly in 1919 at the age of 45, when Anjezë was eight years old; some sources suggest he may have been poisoned by Serbian agents after a political meeting in Belgrade. Nikollë was born in Prizren, Kosovo, with his family originating from Mirdita, present-day Albania. Her mother, Dranafile, was from a village near Gjakova, Kosovo, believed by her descendants to be Bishtazhin. After her father's death, her mother raised her and her siblings in a devout Roman Catholic household.

2.2. Childhood and Education

Anjezë's childhood was characterized by a strong Catholic upbringing and an early spiritual inclination. According to her biographer Joan Graff Clucas, she became fascinated by stories of missionaries and their service in Bengal from a young age. By the age of 12, she was convinced that she should commit herself to religious life. Her resolve was strengthened on August 15, 1928, during a pilgrimage and prayer at the shrine of the Black Madonna of Vitina-Letnice, a place she frequently visited.

In 1928, at 18, Anjezë left her home in Skopje to join the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland. Her intention was to become a missionary, and she specifically went to Ireland to learn English, which was the language of instruction for the Sisters of Loreto in India. This move marked the last time she would see her mother or sister. Her family remained in Skopje until 1934 before moving to Tirana. During the communist rule of Enver Hoxha, Mother Teresa was considered a dangerous Vatican agent and was denied opportunities to visit her family, despite multiple requests from various countries on her behalf. Both her mother and sister died under Hoxha's regime, and Mother Teresa was only able to visit Albania five years after the communist government collapsed. She expressed her deep sorrow over her mother's suffering, stating, "Dear God, I can understand and accept that I should suffer, but it is so hard to understand and accept why my mother has to suffer. In her old age she has no other wish than to see us one last time."

She arrived in India in 1929 and began her novitiate in Darjeeling, located in the lower Himalayas. There, she learned Bengali and taught at St. Teresa's School, which was near her convent. On May 24, 1931, she took her first religious vows. She chose the name Teresa after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. However, since another nun in the convent had already chosen that name, she opted for its Spanish spelling, Teresa.

3.1. Loreto Sisters and Work in India

On May 14, 1937, Teresa took her solemn vows while serving as a teacher at the Loreto convent school in Entally, eastern Calcutta. As part of Loreto custom, she adopted the style of 'Mother'. She dedicated nearly two decades to teaching at the school and was appointed its headmistress in 1944. While she enjoyed her teaching role, Mother Teresa became increasingly distressed by the pervasive poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. The devastating Bengal famine of 1943 brought immense suffering and death to the city, and the Direct Action Day in August 1946 initiated a period of intense Hindu-Muslim violence, further exacerbating the misery and fear among the populace. These experiences profoundly influenced her future path, deepening her awareness of the dire needs of the poor.

3.2. "Call within a Call" and Founding of Missionaries of Charity

A pivotal spiritual experience in 1946 fundamentally altered Mother Teresa's life path. On September 10, 1946, while traveling by train to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling for her annual retreat, she experienced what she later described as "the call within the call." She felt a profound inner conviction that she was to leave the convent and dedicate herself to serving the poor while living among them, considering it a divine command that she could not fail. This moment marked her transition from Sister Teresa to Mother Teresa, though this was not publicly known at the time.

In 1948, she began her missionary work among the poor, replacing her traditional Loreto habit with a simple, white cotton sari with a blue border, a symbol of her commitment to poverty. She adopted Indian citizenship and spent several months in Patna to receive basic medical training at Holy Family Hospital before venturing into the slums of Calcutta. Her initial efforts included founding an open-air school in Motijhil, Calcutta, for homeless children who could not attend formal schools, and she quickly began tending to the poor and hungry. By early 1949, a group of young women, including some of her former students from St. Mary's College, joined her efforts as volunteers, laying the groundwork for a new religious community dedicated to helping "the poorest among the poor."

Her work quickly garnered attention from Indian officials, including the prime minister, who expressed appreciation for her efforts. However, Mother Teresa's first year was fraught with difficulties. With no steady income, she relied on begging for food and supplies, and she experienced periods of doubt, loneliness, and the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life. She documented these struggles in her diary, reflecting on the immense suffering of the poor and her determination to remain committed to her chosen path out of love for God, despite the hardships.

On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received Vatican permission for the diocesan congregation, which officially became the Missionaries of Charity. She articulated the order's mission as caring for "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone."

3.3. Missionaries of Charity Operations

The Missionaries of Charity was founded with a core mission to provide "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." Members of the order take the traditional vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, alongside a fourth vow specifically dedicated to this service.

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened her first hospice with the support of Calcutta officials. She transformed an abandoned Hindu temple into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the poor, which she renamed Nirmal Hriday (Home of the Pure Heart). Those brought to the home received medical attention and the opportunity to die with dignity in accordance with their faith. Muslims were given the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges River, and Catholics received extreme unction. Mother Teresa famously stated that "a beautiful death is for people who lived like animals to die like angels-loved and wanted."

She also established Shanti Nagar (City of Peace), a hospice for individuals suffering from leprosy. The Missionaries of Charity expanded its outreach by establishing leprosy clinics throughout Calcutta, offering medication, dressings, and food. Recognizing the plight of homeless children, Mother Teresa opened Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children's Home of the Immaculate Heart, in 1955 as a sanctuary for orphans and homeless youth. This facility provided food, medical care, and education, and facilitated international adoptions for some children.

The congregation steadily attracted new recruits and donations, enabling it to open more hospices, orphanages, and leper houses across India by the 1960s. Mother Teresa then began to expand the Missionaries of Charity internationally. The first house outside India was established in Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters. This was followed by foundations in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in 1968. Throughout the 1970s, the congregation continued to grow, opening houses and foundations in the United States and numerous other countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

To support its expanding work, the Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963, and a contemplative branch of the Sisters was established in 1976. Lay Catholics and non-Catholics also participated through the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa, the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, and the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In response to requests from many priests, Mother Teresa founded the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests in 1981 and, with Joseph Langford, established the Missionaries of Charity Fathers in 1984, aiming to integrate the vocational goals of the Missionaries of Charity with the resources of the priesthood.

By 1997, the original 13-member Calcutta congregation had grown to over 4,000 sisters, managing orphanages, HIV/AIDS hospices, and charity centers worldwide. They cared for refugees, the blind, the disabled, the elderly, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine. By 2007, the Missionaries of Charity comprised approximately 450 brothers and 5,000 sisters globally, operating 600 missions, schools, and shelters in 120 countries.

3.4. International Charity Work

Mother Teresa famously described her identity: "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." She was fluent in five languages: Bengali, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, English, and Hindi, and frequently traveled internationally for humanitarian missions.

In 1971, she visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, during The Troubles, accompanied by four of her sisters. Her suggestion that the dire conditions she observed justified an ongoing mission there caused some embarrassment among local Catholic hierarchy. Reportedly under pressure from senior clergy who believed "the missionary traffic should be in other direction," and despite local support, she and her sisters abruptly departed the city in 1973.

During the height of the Siege of Beirut in 1982, Mother Teresa undertook a daring mission, brokering a temporary cease-fire between the Israeli army and Palestinian guerrillas to rescue 37 children trapped in a front-line hospital. Accompanied by Red Cross workers, she navigated the war zone to evacuate the young patients from the damaged facility.

As Eastern Europe experienced increased openness in the late 1980s, Mother Teresa expanded her efforts into former Communist countries that had previously rejected the Missionaries of Charity. She initiated dozens of projects, undeterred by criticisms of her strong stances against abortion and divorce, stating, "No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work." She visited Armenia after the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake and met with Soviet Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov.

Mother Teresa traveled to assist the hungry in Ethiopia, radiation victims at Chernobyl, and earthquake victims in Armenia. In 1991, she returned to her homeland of Albania for the first time, opening a Missionaries of Charity Brothers home in Tirana. By 1996, the Missionaries of Charity operated 517 missions in over 100 countries. The number of sisters in the congregation grew from twelve to thousands, serving the "poorest of the poor" in 450 centers worldwide. The first Missionaries of Charity home in the United States was established in the South Bronx area of New York City, and by 1984, the congregation operated 19 establishments across the country.

4.1. Views on Suffering and Spiritual Trials

Pope John Paul II, in analyzing Mother Teresa's deeds and achievements, stated that she found her strength and perseverance "in prayer and in the silent contemplation of Jesus Christ, his Holy Face, his Sacred Heart." However, privately, Mother Teresa experienced profound doubts and spiritual struggles that lasted for nearly 50 years, until the end of her life. This period, often referred to as a "dark night of the soul," involved a deep sense of emptiness and a perceived absence of God.

She expressed these struggles in her personal letters, writing: "Where is my faith? Even deep down... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness... If there be God - please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul." This experience of spiritual dryness is not unique among saints, with her namesake, Thérèse of Lisieux, also describing a "night of nothingness." According to James Langford, such doubts are typical and do not impede canonization.

After a decade of this spiritual darkness, Mother Teresa experienced a brief period of renewed faith following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. While praying for him at a requiem Mass, she felt relieved of "the long darkness: that strange suffering." However, this respite was temporary, and her spiritual dryness returned five weeks later.

Over a 66-year period, Mother Teresa wrote numerous letters to her confessors and superiors, most notably to Calcutta Archbishop Ferdinand Perier and Jesuit priest Celeste van Exem, her spiritual advisor since the formation of the Missionaries of Charity. She had requested that these letters be destroyed, concerned that "people will think more of me - less of Jesus." Nevertheless, this correspondence was compiled and published in Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. In one letter to spiritual confidant Michael van der Peet, she wrote, "Jesus has a very special love for you. [But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see - listen and do not hear - the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak... I want you to pray for me - that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Pope Benedict XVI, in his first encyclical, Deus caritas est, referenced Mother Teresa three times, using her life as an example to illustrate a central point: "In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbour but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service." Mother Teresa herself emphasized the importance of prayer, stating, "It is only by mental prayer and spiritual reading that we can cultivate the gift of prayer."

Although her order was not formally connected with the Franciscan orders, Mother Teresa greatly admired Francis of Assisi and was influenced by Franciscan spirituality. The Sisters of Charity recite the Prayer of Saint Francis every morning at Mass during the thanksgiving after Communion, and their emphasis on ministry and many of their vows are similar to Franciscan principles. Francis of Assisi himself emphasized poverty, chastity, obedience, and submission to Christ, dedicating much of his life to serving the poor, particularly lepers.

4.2. Views on Poverty, Abortion, and Contraception

Mother Teresa's philosophy on poverty was deeply intertwined with her spiritual beliefs. She viewed suffering as a means to draw closer to Christ, a perspective that led to criticism for allegedly promoting a "cult of suffering" rather than actively working to alleviate it through modern medical practices. She believed that the poor were "Christ in the guise of distress" and that serving them was serving Jesus himself. This perspective, however, was also interpreted by critics as a reluctance to address the root causes of poverty, focusing instead on providing comfort in suffering.

She held an exceptionally strong and unwavering opposition to abortion and contraception, aligning with the teachings of the Catholic Church. She famously declared abortion to be "the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you kill me - there is nothing between." She reiterated this stance at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, stating, "Yet we can destroy this gift of motherhood, especially by the evil of abortion, but also by thinking that other things like jobs or positions are more important than loving."

These views drew significant criticism from secular humanist groups, such as Barbara Smoker of The Freethinker, who argued that her promotion of Catholic moral teachings on abortion and contraception diverted funds from more effective methods to solve India's problems. Abortion-rights groups also consistently criticized her stance. Critics like Christopher Hitchens accused her of being a "friend of poverty" rather than the poor, arguing that her opposition to contraception and the empowerment of women perpetuated the cycle of poverty.

5.1. Declining Health and Death

Mother Teresa experienced recurring health issues in her later years. In 1983, she suffered a heart attack in Rome while visiting Pope John Paul II. A second heart attack in 1989 led to her receiving a cardiac pacemaker. In 1991, after a bout of pneumonia in Mexico, she developed further heart problems. Despite these health challenges, when she offered to resign as head of the Missionaries of Charity, the sisters of the congregation voted in a secret ballot for her to remain, and she agreed to continue her leadership.

Her health continued to deteriorate significantly in 1996. In April, she fell and broke her collarbone. Four months later, she contracted malaria and experienced left heart failure. Although she underwent heart surgery, her declining health was evident. According to the Archbishop of Calcutta, Henry Sebastian D'Souza, he ordered a priest to perform an exorcism (with her permission) when she was first hospitalized with cardiac problems, believing she might be under attack by the devil.

On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa finally resigned as head of the Missionaries of Charity, with Sister Nirmala Joshi succeeding her. She died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87, in the Mother House in Calcutta. Her last words were reportedly "I can't breathe anymore."

5.2. Death and Funeral

Mother Teresa's death on September 5, 1997, prompted widespread mourning across both secular and religious communities worldwide. Her body lay in repose in an open casket at St. Thomas, Calcutta, for a week, allowing thousands to pay their respects.

The Indian government honored her with a state funeral on September 13, 1997, in gratitude for her selfless service to the poor of all religions in the country. This was a rare honor for a non-political figure, previously extended only to Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The funeral ceremony was a grand affair, with her coffin transported on a gun carriage by army soldiers, symbolizing the nation's profound respect. Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, representing the Pope, delivered the homily at the service.

Global reactions to her passing were immediate and heartfelt. Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif described her as "a rare and unique individual who lived long for higher purposes. Her life-long devotion to the care of the poor, the sick, and the disadvantaged was one of the highest examples of service to our humanity." Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuéllar remarked, "She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world." Her death was seen as a national loss in India, and people around the globe mourned her immense contributions.

6.1. Major Awards and Honors

Mother Teresa received extensive recognition for her humanitarian efforts from governments, civilian organizations, and academic institutions worldwide.
In 1962, she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding, an honor given for work in South or East Asia. The citation recognized "her merciful cognisance of the abject poor of a foreign land, in whose service she has led a new congregation."
From the Indian government, she received a diplomatic passport and was honored with the Padma Shri in 1962 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1969. In 1980, she received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
Her international fame surged after Malcolm Muggeridge's 1969 BBC documentary, Something Beautiful for God, and his subsequent 1971 book of the same name. Muggeridge, who later converted to Catholicism, attributed the surprisingly well-lit footage shot in poor conditions in her homes to a "divine light," though other crew members cited a new, ultra-sensitive Kodak film.
The Catholic world also began to publicly honor her. Pope Paul VI presented her with the inaugural Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, commending her work with the poor, her demonstration of Christian charity, and her efforts for peace. She received the Pacem in Terris Award in 1976.
Other notable awards include:

• The Balzan Prize for promoting humanity, peace, and brotherhood among peoples (1978).
• The Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975).
• An honorary Companion of the Order of Australia in 1982 for "service to the community of Australia and humanity at large."
• The United Kingdom's Order of Merit in 1983.
• The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985.
• Honorary citizenship of the United States on November 16, 1996, making her the fifth person and the first non-politician or military figure to receive this honor.
• The Golden Honour of the Nation from her Albanian homeland in 1994.

She also received numerous honorary degrees from universities in India and the West, including the University of Scranton, which awarded her an honorary doctor of social science degree in 1987.
In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace." She famously refused the conventional ceremonial banquet for laureates, requesting that its 192.00 K USD cost be donated to the poor in India, stating that earthly rewards were only important if they helped her serve the needy. When asked what could be done to promote world peace, she responded, "Go home and love your family." In her Nobel lecture, she elaborated on the profound and often overlooked "poverty of the West," describing the deep suffering of those who feel "unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society."

During her lifetime, Mother Teresa was consistently ranked among the top 10 women in Gallup's annual "Most Admired Man and Woman" poll 18 times, often finishing first in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, she topped Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century, significantly out-polling other nominees and ranking first in almost all major demographic categories except the very young.

6.2. Reception in India and Abroad

Mother Teresa's reception was complex, marked by both widespread adoration and significant criticism, both within India and internationally.

In India, she was issued a diplomatic passport by the government. Her official biography, written by Navin Chawla, was published in 1992. In Calcutta, some Hindus even worshipped her as a deity. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of her birth, the government of India issued a special 5 INR coin on August 28, 2010, symbolizing the small amount of money she had when she first arrived in India. President Pratibha Patil praised her and the Missionaries of Charity as a "symbol of hope to many-namely, the aged, the destitute, the unemployed, the diseased, the terminally ill, and those abandoned by their families."

However, Indian views of Mother Teresa were not uniformly favorable. Aroup Chatterjee, a physician from Calcutta and an activist in the city's slums, criticized her for promoting a "cult of suffering" and a distorted, negative image of Calcutta. He alleged that she exaggerated the work done by her mission and misused funds and privileges. Chatterjee, who conducted over 100 interviews with volunteers and nuns, claimed he "never even saw any nuns in those slums" during his time there around 1980. He noted that some hygiene issues he criticized, such as the reuse of needles, improved only after her death in 1997.

Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Mayor of Calcutta from 2005 to 2010, asserted that Mother Teresa "had no significant impact on the poor of this city," glorified illness instead of treating it, and misrepresented Calcutta. He stated, "No doubt there was poverty in Calcutta, but it was never a city of lepers and beggars, as Mother Teresa presented it." On the Hindu right, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) initially clashed with Mother Teresa over the Christian Dalits but praised her upon her death and sent a representative to her funeral. However, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) opposed the government's decision to grant her a state funeral, with secretary Giriraj Kishore accusing her of prioritizing the Church, favoring Christians, and conducting "secret baptisms" of the dying. In contrast, the Indian fortnightly Frontline dismissed these charges as "patently false" and noted their minimal impact on public perception, praising her "selfless caring," energy, and bravery, while still criticizing her public campaign against abortion and her claim to be non-political. In February 2015, Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Hindu right-wing organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stated that Mother Teresa's objective was "to convert the person, who was being served, into a Christian."

Internationally, Mother Teresa's public image was largely positive. She was honored by governments and civilian organizations, receiving numerous awards from the United States and the United Kingdom. However, her acceptance of the Golden Honour of the Nation in 1994 from Albania and the Haitian Legion of Honour was controversial, as she was criticized for implicitly supporting the Duvaliers and controversial businessmen like Charles Keating and Robert Maxwell. She even wrote to the judge in Keating's trial, requesting clemency.

7.1. Medical and Hygiene Issues

One of the most persistent criticisms concerned the quality of medical care, hygiene standards, and pain management in the homes run by the Missionaries of Charity. Critics, including a paper by Canadian academics Serge Larivée, Geneviève Chénard, and Carole Sénéchal, argued that while the clinics received millions of dollars in donations, they often lacked adequate medical care, systematic diagnosis, necessary nutrition, and sufficient analgesics for those in pain. These academics suggested that Mother Teresa believed the sick should suffer "like Christ on the cross," implying a theological justification for the lack of pain relief. It was argued that the substantial donations could have been used to establish advanced palliative care facilities, transforming the health of the city's poor.

English journalist Christopher Hitchens, one of Mother Teresa's most vocal critics, accused her of being a "friend of poverty" rather than the poor. He argued that she saw suffering as a "gift from God" and opposed the only known cure for poverty: the empowerment of women and their emancipation from compulsory reproduction. Hitchens also accused her of hypocrisy for seeking advanced medical treatment for her own heart condition while allegedly denying adequate care to those in her hospices. He asserted that her intention was not to alleviate poverty but to "expand the number of Catholics," quoting her as saying, "I'm not a social worker. I don't do it for this reason. I do it for Christ. I do it for the church."

However, these criticisms have been challenged by others. Navin B. Chawla, Mother Teresa's biographer, stated that she never intended to build hospitals but rather to provide a place where those refused admittance elsewhere "could at least die being comforted and with some dignity." He also countered claims of unethical conversions and argued that her hospitalizations were often against her wishes, initiated by staff. Sister Mary Prema Pierick, a former Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, affirmed that the homes were not meant to replace hospitals but to care for those rejected by them, and that the order's goal was to alleviate suffering, not cultivate it.

7.2. Religious Conversion and Beliefs Controversies

Mother Teresa faced allegations of coercive religious conversions, particularly concerning the "secret baptisms" of the dying. Critics, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) secretary Giriraj Kishore, accused her of favoring Christians and using her social service as an incidental means to serve the Church. However, Navin B. Chawla, her biographer, disputed the claim that she conducted unethical conversions.

Her strong stance against abortion and contraception was another significant source of controversy. She viewed abortion as "the greatest destroyer of peace today," a position that drew sharp criticism from secular humanists and abortion-rights groups who argued that such views hindered effective solutions to poverty and women's empowerment.

Additionally, Mother Teresa was criticized for her defense of controversial clergy. In 1994, she publicly defended Jesuit priest Donald McGuire against sexual abuse allegations, stating her belief in his innocence. When McGuire was later convicted in 2006 for sexually molesting multiple children, Mother Teresa's earlier defense of him drew significant criticism.

7.3. Financial Matters and Relationships

Controversies also surrounded the handling of donations received by the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa's associations with controversial figures. Critics raised questions about the transparency of the organization's finances and how the millions of dollars in donations were utilized, suggesting that a significant portion was not spent on improving the medical facilities or living conditions in their homes.

Her association with figures like Charles Keating, a financier convicted of fraud, and Robert Maxwell, a publishing magnate with a controversial reputation, drew criticism. Mother Teresa notably wrote to the judge presiding over Keating's trial, requesting clemency. This act was seen by some as an implicit endorsement of individuals involved in corrupt practices, raising questions about her judgment in accepting support from such sources. Critics like Christopher Hitchens accused her of hypocrisy, alleging that she lied to donors about how their contributions were used, claiming she was not working to alleviate poverty but to expand the number of Catholics.

8.1. Miracle Recognition and Beatification

Following Mother Teresa's death in 1997, the Holy See initiated the process of beatification, the second of three steps toward canonization. Brian Kolodiejchuk was appointed as the postulator by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta to manage her cause. His task was to prove Mother Teresa's heroic virtue, not her perfection. Kolodiejchuk submitted 76 documents, totaling 35,000 pages, based on interviews with 113 witnesses who answered 263 questions.

The process of canonization requires the documentation of a miracle resulting from the intercession of the prospective saint. In 2002, the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of Monica Besra, an Indian woman. According to Besra, a beam of light emanated from a locket containing Mother Teresa's picture, which had been applied to her abdomen, and her cancerous tumor was cured. However, this miracle was met with debate. Besra's husband and some of her medical staff stated that conventional medical treatment had eradicated the tumor. Ranjan Mustafi, one of Besra's doctors, told The New York Times that the cyst was caused by tuberculosis and was cured by medication over nine months to a year, not a miracle. Besra's husband explicitly stated, "My wife was cured by the doctors and not by any miracle... This miracle is a hoax." Furthermore, Besra claimed her medical records, including sonograms and prescriptions, were confiscated by Sister Betta of the Missionaries of Charity, and officials at Balurghat Hospital reported being pressured by the order to declare her cure miraculous.

Despite these controversies, the Vatican studied both published and unpublished criticisms of Mother Teresa's life and work, including testimonies from Christopher Hitchens and Aroup Chatterjee. Vatican officials stated that all allegations were investigated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The group found no obstacle to Mother Teresa's canonization and issued its nihil obstat^Latin (nothing stands in the way) on April 21, 1999. Due to the criticisms, some Catholic writers referred to her as a "sign of contradiction." Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, by Pope John Paul II and became known to Catholics as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta."

8.2. Canonization

On December 17, 2015, the Vatican Press Office confirmed that Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa: the healing of a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors in 2008. The miracle came to the attention of the postulation during World Youth Day 2013 in Brazil. A subsequent investigation in Brazil from June 19-26, 2015, was completed and recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Pope Francis officially canonized her at a ceremony on September 4, 2016, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Tens of thousands of people attended the ceremony, including 15 government delegations and 1,500 homeless individuals from across Italy. The event was televised live on the Vatican channel and streamed online. Skopje, Mother Teresa's hometown, announced a week-long celebration of her canonization. In India, a special Mass was celebrated by the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.

On September 4, 2017, during a celebration marking the first anniversary of her canonization, Sister Mary Prema Pierick, Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity, announced that Mother Teresa would be named the co-patron of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta. This was confirmed by Archbishop Thomas D'Souza, head of the archdiocese. On September 6, 2017, approximately 500 people attended a Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary, where Dominique Gomes, the local Vicar General, read the decree instituting her as the second patron saint of the archdiocese, alongside Francis Xavier, who was declared the first patron saint in 1986. The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop D'Souza and the Vatican's ambassador to India, Giambattista Diquattro, who also inaugurated a bronze statue of Mother Teresa carrying a child in the church.

9.1. Commemorations and Impact

At the time of her death, the Missionaries of Charity had expanded significantly, with over 4,000 sisters and an associated brotherhood of 300 members, operating 610 missions in 123 countries. These missions included hospices and homes for individuals with HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis, as well as soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools. By the 1990s, the Missionaries of Charity was supported by over one million co-workers globally.

Mother Teresa has been widely commemorated through various honors and institutions worldwide. Museums are dedicated to her, and she has been named the patroness of several churches. Buildings, roads, and complexes bear her name, including Albania's international airport. September 5, the anniversary of her death, is observed as Mother Teresa Day (Dita e Nënë Terezës^Albanian), a public holiday in Albania.

In 2009, the Memorial House of Mother Teresa was opened in her native city of Skopje, North Macedonia. The Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa in Pristina, Kosovo, is also named in her honor. While the demolition of a historic high school for its construction initially sparked controversy, the high school was later relocated to a new, more spacious campus. Consecrated on September 5, 2017, it became the first cathedral dedicated to Mother Teresa and the second existing cathedral in Kosovo.

In India, the Mother Teresa Women's University, located in Kodaikanal, was established in 1984 as a public university by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The Mother Teresa Postgraduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences, in Pondicherry, was founded in 1999 by the government of Puducherry. The charitable organization Sevalaya operates the Mother Teresa Girls Home, which provides free food, clothing, shelter, and education to poor and orphaned girls near the underserved village of Kasuva in Tamil Nadu.

Numerous tributes by her biographer, Navin Chawla, have appeared in Indian newspapers and magazines. On August 26, 2010, Indian Railways introduced the "Mother Express," a new train named after Mother Teresa, to commemorate the centenary of her birth. The Tamil Nadu government also organized centenary celebrations honoring Mother Teresa on December 4, 2010, in Chennai, led by chief minister M. Karunanidhi. Beginning on September 5, 2013, the anniversary of her death has been designated the International Day of Charity by the United Nations General Assembly. In a 2012 poll by Outlook India, Mother Teresa was ranked number 5 in "The Greatest Indian" list. Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, also houses the Mother Teresa Museum.

9.2. Depictions in Film, Literature, and Art

Mother Teresa's life and work have been extensively depicted in various forms of popular culture, including documentaries, films, and literature.

• Documentaries and Books:**

• Films and Television:**

• Theatre:**