Indian official accuses Mother Teresa of conversion-mongering

Indian Nationalist leader Mohan Bhagwat is mad at Mother Teresa. The New York Times reportedthe leader of the nationalist RSS party proclaimed at an orphanage’s opening ceremony, “There are no services like Mother Theresa’s here.” He complained that the nun’s ministry work was a lure for conversion. “There was a motive behind it—that those who are rendered the service should become Christian.”

But Arvind Kejriwal, a top Indian official who worked with Mother Teresa in Kolkata, defended her on Twitter: “She was a noble soul … spare her.” The Congress Party demanded Bhagwat issue an apology, according to India Times.

Bhagwat’s comment is important because he’s a close ally of India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, and journalists are trying to discern if Modi was sincere last week when he condemned religious violence and cautioned against a throwback “to the dark days of bigotry, fanaticism, and bloodshed. ”Playing it vague, Modi made no reference to specific groups or incidents.

Many Hindus have viewed churches with suspicion and sometimes resort to violence. If Mother Teresa is fair game, that’s a signal to anti-Christian vandals such as those who in the past month have destroyed six churches in Delhi.

“Such statements are unfortunate because besides being inaccurate, they also cause damage to the harmony and goodwill between people of different religions,” said Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai.