Slew of programmes to mark birth centenary of Mother Teresa

Several programmes have been planned to mark the birth centenary of Mother Teresa on Aug 26, 2010.

Rev. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic Church in India, said it has chalked out a detailed programme to commemorate the birth anniversary of the humanitarian icon.

A commemorative meeting will be held in New Delhi on Aug 28 which will be presided by President Pratibha Patil. Several union ministers and Missionaries of Charity chief Sister Prema will address the meeting. A commemorative coin will be released by the government on the occasion.

Also, a national-level symposium on the 'Life and Message of Mother Teresa' will be held in the capital on Aug 27.

Navin Chawla, chief election commissioner and biographer of Mother Teresa, Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Archbishop Oswald Gomis, chancellor of Colombo University, and Dr. Valson Thampu, principal of St Stephen's College, Delhi, will be among the speakers.

Besides that, a week-long photo exhibition on the work of Mother Teresa will be held from Aug 23 to 30. Noted photographer Raghu Rai will be the curator of the exhibition.

Mother Teresa was born on 26 August 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, to Albanian heritage.

For over 45 years the Catholic nun ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, for which she won a Noble Peace Prize in 1979.

On her centenary, Catholic organisations have written to the Pope asking to bestow sainthood to Mother Teresa.

However, says Rev. Joseph, "the sainthood scrutiny process will take its own course."

"The church follows a rigorous and long process before anyone is declared a saint. Mother Teresa is already honoured by the church as she has been bestowed the 'Blessed' title," he told the IANS.