In the world of Formula One racing there has been controversy in the past when Ferrari used team orders to allow Michael Schumacher to "pass" his Ferrari teammate in order to score points towards the world championship. Those of us that love the sport know that "Schumi" did not need any help from Ferrari, that he is the greatest Formula One driver ever, besting the legendary Fangio.
The same can be said about Sammy Sossa. Sammy didn't need a corked bat to be the powerful hitter that he is.
The same can be said about people we know and love, people that are good and righteous. We don't need an institution to tell us what is so self-evident to us.
The same applies to Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa is a saint, whether or not her "miracles" were verified by the Vatican, or are challenged by skeptics in India. It doesn't matter what other writers may say about her, we know that Mother Teresa dedicated her life to helping what she often referred to as "the poorest of the poor."
If there is any criticism, it should be addressed to the government of India which spends a huge amount of money on its missile and nuclear programs while millions of Indians live in adject poverty.
If there is a legitimate issue regarding Mother Teresa, it doesn't involve her or her life's work but it involves the Vatican, and the integrity of the process it has used to "fast track" Mother Teresa to official "sainthood" status.
"Mother Teresa could be considered for sainthood for her services to the poor, adding that it was an insult to her legacy to bestow her sainthood on false claims of miracles." - Prabir Ghosh, India.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/8194The issue is whether there has been fraud regarding an alleged miracle credited to Mother Teresa, which has been challenged as a fraud by witnesses.
Fraud was also alleged in the process that culminated in the canonization of Opus Dei founder, Josemaría Escrivá.
The Vatican has never been above politics!
BTW, I don't need the Catholic Church to tell me that Mother Teresa was a saintly person. Her life's work speaks volumes about her righteousness. The issue here is one of fraud perpetrated by the Vatican in order to mislead the faithful.
Catholicism and Catholics should not be confused with Vatican politics and intrigue. There is some Opus Dei influence in the Vatican. How much, no one knows. But we do know that the Pope's private secretary and top Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls, is a member of Opus Dei.
Keeping all of that in mind, here are some of the stories about possible fraud by Vatican officials on the Mother Teresa matter:
Friday, 4 October, 2002, 11:59 GMT 12:59 UK
Mother Teresa's 'miracle' challenged
By Subir Bhaumik
BBC correspondent in Calcutta A miracle attributed to Mother Teresa has been challenged in the Indian state of West Bengal.
A rationalist group in the state says a woman reportedly cured of cancer by placing a photograph of the nun on her stomach had subsequently received treatment in government hospitals.
<snip>
Mr Ghosh described the claim as bogus and typical of the process of cult building in all religious orders.
He says Mother Teresa could be considered for sainthood for her services to the poor, adding that it was an insult to her legacy to bestow her sainthood on false claims of miracles.
Mr Ghosh says several doctors have reported to the West Bengal government that Ms Besra continued to receive treatment long after Mother Teresa died.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2299217.stmVATICAN CITY
Mother Teresa's miracle in doubt
Posted Tue, 08 Oct 2002 Indian doctors on Monday said the Vatican was making a mistake in attributing a miracle to the late Mother Teresa, saying strong medicines and not divine intervention had cured a cancer-stricken patient.
The Vatican last Tuesday formally recognised the healing of an Indian woman's abdominal tumour as a miracle wrought by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, bringing her a significant step closer to sainthood.
But well-qualified sources here said 30-year-old Bengali woman Monika Besra was cured by strong drugs and treatment.
"Monika Besra was rid of her tumour with the help of very strong medicines and treatment for several days at Balurghat Hospital (in West Bengal state)," former West Bengal health minister Partho De said.
http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/173553.htmDoctor claims pressure to ratify Teresa's 'miracle'
M Chhaya in Kolkata A doctor who treated Monica Besra, the tribal woman whom Mother Teresa is believed to have miraculously cured, has alleged that some persons claiming to represent the Roman Catholic Church and the Missionaries of Charity are trying to pressurise him to pass off the case as an inexplicable medical phenomenon.
Dr Manzur Murshed, superintendent of the Balurghat Hospital in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal, said, "They want us to say Monica Besra's recovery was a miracle and beyond the comprehension of medical science."
According to Dr Murshed, in 1998 Besra received nine months of anti-tubercular treatment for her abdominal tumour and was cured.
The Vatican's Congregation for Causes of Saints has accepted that Besra was cured after praying to Mother Teresa and wearing a medallion with her photograph. This has paved the way for Mother Teresa's beatification, which is one step closer to sainthood.
But the objections by the doctors who treated Besra and Indian rationalists have blotched the entire beatification process.
http://www.valleyskeptic.com/mt_doctor.htmlWest Bengal rejects Mother Teresa's miracle
M Chhaya in Kolkata The West Bengal government has rejected as ridiculous the Vatican's claim that Mother Teresa had miraculously cured a woman suffering from a tumour.
An inquiry ordered by the government has concluded that Monica Besra was cured of the ovarian tumour after months of medication, not by wearing a medallion with Mother Teresa's photograph.
The Vatican has accepted Besra's recovery as a miracle by the Albania-born nun, and is all set to beatify her, a major step forward in ordaining her as a saint.
The government's inquiry, which ended on Friday, was headed by South Dinajpur Additional District Magistrate Goutam Ghosh.
http://indiabroad.rediff.com/news/2002/oct/19teres1.htm
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