What happened?
Pope Francis has authorised the canonisation of Blessed Mother Teresa, after the Vatican announced it has recognised a second miracle attributed to her. Her canonisation is expected to take place on September 4 during the Year of Mercy. Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Calcutta announced that Pope Francis had confirmed that the cure of a Brazilian man suffering from multiple brain tumours in 2008 can be attributed to her miraculous intercession.
What the media are saying
The independent reported that, to her critics, Mother Teresa would never be a saint, arguing that her “saintly reputation was gained for aiding Calcutta’s poorest of the poor, yet it was undercut by persistent allegations of misuse of funds, poor medical treatments and religious evangelism in the institutions she founded”.
But Tim Stanley wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the assistance she offered to the dying – companionship through suffering – was invaluable. “Even if Mother Teresa was flawed, her reputation has inspired wonders. Today there are thousands of her Missionaries of Charity in action, caring for abandoned children, those with HIV, lepers and the terminally ill. That someone is prepared to devote their life to help others is, in itself, a kind of miracle.”
What the vaticanisti are saying
In The Tablet Clifford Longley wrote that he could understand but not defend the Vatican’s announcement, saying it was a “very strange God” who allows miracles “in answer to prayers just to let us know that Mother Teresa is in heaven”, while ignoring the prayers of Jews during the Holocaust and others who have prayed in vain to be saved from murder or persecution.
He pointed out that the cost of the ceremony would be half a million pounds and concluded that the funds would be better spent on the cause that Mother Teresa promoted: the poor.
Fr James Martin SJ at Cruxnow.com picked up on a surprising angle of Mother Teresa’s life: that her closeness to God “evaporated almost entirely” and yet she remained faithful to her devotion to the “poorest of the poor”.
✣ The most overlooked story of the week
What happened?
A group of Kenyan Muslims shielded Christians during a bus attack in an attempt to save them from execution. According to eyewitness accounts, when al-Shabaab Islamists ambushed the bus, Muslims protected the Christians by refusing to split into groups saying: “Kill us together or leave us alone.”
Why was it under-reported?
“The locals showed a sense of patriotism and belonging to each other,” Mandera governor Ali Roba told Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper. The terrorists then decided to leave after this display of solidarity from the Muslims. The fact that this news story was thankfully less tragic than expected may have affected the amount of coverage it generated. Furthermore, the persecution of Christians by Islamists in Somalia and east Kenya is something which the media, more often than not, pays limited attention to.
What will happen next?
A BBC report noted: “It will be interesting to see if their actions embolden local populations to increase their resistance to al-Shabaab.” But the systematic killing of Christians is likely to continue in Kenya’s north-east, where al-Shabaab operates. When 148 people were murdered at Garissa University College in April, the killers allegedly singled out Christians and shot them, while letting many Muslims escape. Christians are fleeing the region with 2,000 teachers and many health workers escaping last year.
✣The week ahead
The theology of the Body Symposium takes place at St Patrick’s, Soho, January 13-17, the aim being to “transform the culture with the Gospel of Life and Love”. The speakers are Christopher West and Robert McNamara, while workshops will include “The Challenge of Chaste Love” and “Natural Fertility Awareness vs Contraception”.
Pope Francis is likely to give his annual survey of the world address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See over the coming days. Last year’s address focused on religious terrorism but also migrants, violence against women and unemployment.
The friends of Westminster Cathedral will hold a quiz on January 19 at 6.30pm in Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, London. Tickets, £15 each, include a fish and chip supper. They can be purchased from The Friends’ Office, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW, telephone 020 7798 9059, or from [email protected].
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