Sainthood for Mother Teresa confirmed after Vatican recognises second miracle

[Morch]

@Andaman Al

On a previous post you commented that:

She never lifted up anyone from the misery of extreme poverty! In fact before anyone could get a free bed or a cup of soup they had to renounce all worldly goods and take a vow of poverty. She never lifted anyone from poverty, she did just made them accept it.

She was a teacher for some 20 years, and her charity and affiliates run orphanages and schools. Some would say that counts as doing something to lift people from poverty.

As far as I'm aware, the Vow of Poverty requirement, refers to nuns (or other members), not patients and not even volunteers.

No. Those requiring the help of the charity had to convert to Catholicism and take a vow of poverty, renouncing all worldly goods. Nice eh !

I can't speak about parts of the organization outside of India, as I had no personal experience with them. In India, though, can't say I ever witnessed this to be a condition for admission. The same goes, by the way, for most Christian charities and hospitals I've known in India. There is, to varying degrees, an underlying suggestion to convert, but do not recall it to be conditional. Staff aren't all Christians as well, in all institutions.

Most patients were poor, socially shunned, many elderly (the last is my impression, could have been physical conditions). Again, can't recall any vows being prescribed, other than general conduct rules. Taking a Vow of Poverty would have been meaningless to many of them, as they were already there.

As for conversions, again, no memory of it being conditional, or of anyone refused on religious grounds. I think (but not sure) that Hindu or Muslim worship was forbidden within the premises (or at the very least, discouraged). Then again, there were some patients secretly doing so in private. while conversion was always "on offer", and that this was more prominent than other places, it didn't strike me as over the top. There were patients converting, sure, perhaps not mass conversions but noticeable. Got to bear in mind that for many of them, staying there meant that there were no spiritual alternative offered by their original religious and social communities.

This taking a Vow of Poverty might be confused with preaching patients to accept their lot, and reconcile with their fate. Now, alright - I'm not personally into that point of view, but can understand that for some, in the situation they're in, it might offer peace of mind. The concept itself, by the way, is not all that different from Hindu (and to an extent, Muslim) teachings.