Teresa’s Canonisation Portends More Conversions: VHP

The VHP leader said conferring sainthood on a person who performed miracles is not “practical” today.

The garlanded bronze statue of Mother Teresa after it was unveiled by Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal state at Archbishop’s House in Kolkata, India. (Photo: AP)

Mother Teresa’s canonization portends more conversions to Christianity, an issue that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have considered before deciding to send a delegation to the Vatican, the VHP said on Sunday.”

The canonisation of Mother Teresa is an alarm bell that now there would be more conversions in India and more funds (for conversions) would be routed to India. [sic]

Surendra Jain, VHP International Joint General Secretary

He said granting of sainthood to a person based on miracles attributed to them was not “practical” in today’s times.”Do you expect miracles to happen in this age,” he wondered.

Jain warned that with more conversions, there would be more unrest in society.

A file photo in which nuns pay their tribute to Mother Teresa on her death anniversary at Mother House in Kolkata. (Photo: IANS)

The issue of Mother Teresa’s services vis-a-vis religious conversions is not new. We have been raising it for years. I think the Prime Minister should have thought over it before he decided to send an official delegation to the Vatican.

Surendra Jain

An official Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to attend Mother Teresa’s canonisation ceremony at the Vatican on 4 September.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address paid tribute to the late Catholic nun for her services to the poor of India, saying that Indians should be proud that Mother Teresa is being officially declared a saint.

The nun founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that runs hospices in India. She died in 1997.