Kolkata: “Mother Teresa converts,” a Catholic politician asserted before more than 15,000 people, including Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari, who gathered in Kolkata for a state level tribute to the Catholic Church’s new saint.
Before the gathering inside the Netaji Indore Stadium could sink in what Derek O’Brien said the spokesperson of the Trinamool Congress uttered again: “I have said this before and I will say it again, Mother Teresa converts.”
However, he quickly added, “When it comes to conversion, Mother Teresa converts Muslims to become better Muslims.” After a pause, the member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house in the Indian parliament, said, “Yes, she converts Hindus to become better Hindus,” Sikhs to become better Sikhs and Christians better Christians.”
O’Brien’s remarks could be seen as a veiled attack on Mohan Bhagwat, chief of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS,national volunteers corps), who alleged that converting people to Christianity was the main objective behind Mother Teresa’s service to the poor.
RSS is the umbrella organization of rightwing Hindu groups.
The gathering also included West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Syro Malabar Major Archbishop Cardinal George Cardinal Alencherry, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, and Minister of State for Disaster Management Javed Khan.
O’Brien also led the prayers of the faithful at the Mass with two intentions – one for the leaders of Church, nation and state and another for safeguarding the secular nature of the Constitution of India.
He prayed that the tiny minority of Christian population which is a little over 2 percent of the country’s population of over 1.2 billion people “be respected to live in dignity and practice their religion with no interference from any one as what they should wear and what they should eat and drink.”