Argentina soccer team pays homage to Mother Teresa's tomb

The Argentina soccer team on Sunday visited the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.

Six members of the team along with coach and assistant coach visited the Mother House in Kolkata and spent more than half an hour praying and interacting with the MoC nuns.

The team paid homage to Mother Teresa's tomb on the ground floor before heading to the chapel where Mother used to attend prayers

Mother Teresa spent over 45 years ministering to the poor and dying in India for which she won a Noble Peace Prize in 1979. Her death anniversary falls today, September 5.

"They came quietly and visited the usual places. They left silently after paying homage to the Mother. They also visited Mother's room," a source at the Missionaries of Charity told IANS.

The team's captain Lionel Messi reportedly remained at the hotel for security reasons.

The Argentine football team arrived in Calcutta last Wednesday for the Sept 2 FIFA official friendly match against Venezuela, which they won 1-0.

The players will leave for Dhaka on Monday morning to play another international friendly against Nigeria on September 6.

Argentina's legendary soccer player Diego Maradona had also visited the Mother House during his visit to Kolkata three years back.

Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 26, 1910. Prayers and special programmes marked the 102nd birth anniversary of Mother last month.

In Kolkata, where Mother spent most of her life serving the downtrodden, people from all walks of life paid tributes at Mother's tomb. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid floral tributes to Mother's portrait at the State Secretariat.

The superior general of Missionaries of Charity, Sister Prema, in a message earlier said the life and work of Mother Teresa will continue to be the "light of God's love for people who experience the darkness of rejection, doubt and loneliness."