By Matters Indian Reporter
Kolkata, March 31, 2026: The Missionaries of Charity has announced plans to pursue legal action against organizations using founder Mother Teresa’s name and image without permission for fundraising and promotional activities.
The congregation emphasized that Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor, strictly forbade the use of her name or likeness in connection with fundraising.
In her last will and testament, she vested all rights related to her name, image and writings in her successors in the office of the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity.
“Mother Teresa depended solely on Divine Providence and prohibited the use of her name or image for fundraising,” the congregation said in a statement. “The misuse of her name misleads the public and violates the principles she embraced.”
The Missionaries of Charity said they are deeply pained by the growing number of organizations staging lavish ceremonies, conferring awards in her name, and promoting events on social media that contradict her spirit of poverty and humility.
Archbishop Elias Frank of Calcutta, in whose archdiocese Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, endorsed the congregation’s concerns, urging that the warning be widely shared to dissuade unauthorized use of Mother Teresa’s name.
He called on “people everywhere to dissuade any uses of Mother’s name without due permission, and stem the rampant use of her name, oftentimes for things totally alien to the saint and her work,” according to a press note by the Calcutta Archdiocese’s Office of Social Communication, Information and Media.
The congregation advised all organizations currently using Mother Teresa’s name or that of the Missionaries of Charity without written permission to cease immediately and rename their groups. Legal action, they said, will be taken against violators.
Mother Teresa, canonized as a saint in 2016, remains a global symbol of compassion and service. The Missionaries of Charity said protecting her legacy is essential to honoring her wishes and continuing her mission of love and service to the poor.
(1) In 2010-11, Catholic Association of Bengal (CAB) had raised funds in the name of Mother Teresa (Fund Name: HOMAGE TO MOTHER TERESA) during the presidentship of Eugene Gonsalves and Secretaryship of Alexander Anthony.
(2) The Fund (with (Syndicate Bank, St Xavier’s College premises, Park Street, Kolkata), which goes very much very much against the 14th October 1984 Will of Mother Teresa, was handled by late Fr John Mohandas (Financial Administrator of the Archdiocese of Calcutta), Fr Vincent Lobo and Eugene Gonsalves. Eugene Gonsalves had the custody of the Fixed Deposit Receipt and was the single signatory.
(3) Hardly anyone, except the three signatories mentioned above, know how much money was collected in the name paying HOMAGE TO MOTHER TERESA, ostensibly to conduct various programmes to commemorate Mother Teresa being declared “Blessed.” Late Archbishop Lucas Sirkar allowed Eugene the use of the PAN Card of the Archdiocese! Catholic Association of Bengal’s audited accounts do not reflect this collection, though its AGM reports make a mention of the collection drive under the nomenclature HOMAGE TO MOTHER TERESA.
(4) The Catholic Association of Bengal (which uses the acronym CAB) has a habit of courting controversy. Did its President, Secretary and the then Executive Committee (EC) including Archbishop Lucas Sirkar not know the 14th October 1984 Will of Mother Teresa who expressly advised against any fund-collection in her or in the name of Missionaries of Charity?
(5) The current CAB office bearers who were elected to office on 2nd September 2018 for a term of three years (as per its Constitution), have been holding on to power despite their elected term having been over on 1st September 2021. Since 2020 CAB hasn’t held any Annual General Meeting and shared its audited accounts with the 950+ Life Members who do not have voting rights, except the Office Bearers and EC members. It hasn’t also conducted any election of officer bearers and have usurped power by threatening outspoken Life Members. Yet it trumpets Mother Teresa as its Patron Saint and mostly busy with photo ops in social media! The current Archbishop of Calcutta MUST look into this power-mongering by certain members of CAB including its so-called Executive Committee. The erstwhile Archbishop Thomas D’Souza let grass grow under his feet despite members writing to him on the ongoing anarchy.
(6) The new Archbishop Elias Frank must step in as CAB operates with impunity from the Archdiocese premises.