“Teresa was no saint, but a religious zealot who used Calcutta’s poor for her own fundamentalist agenda “

Workers Party Dublin North-West representative, Jimmy Dignam has criticised RTE’s decision to give live coverage to the Mother Teresa canonisation ceremony. He stated: “I find it mind-boggling that RTÉ has decided to spend taxpayer’s money on covering the Vatican’s sham canonisation of Mother Teresa”.

He stated: “Teresa’s record of caring for the poor has frequently been uncovered as utterly fictitious. Sick people under her care were left to die in the worst conditions, as she sought to convert them to Christianity, rather than give them any medical care.”

Dignam continued: “Teresa travelled the world supposedly fundraising for the needy, when in truth most of the funds went into spreading her cult of suffering across the globe. She built over 500 convents in 105 countries to help spread her extreme fundamentalist message. Many of the people who came through her institutions could easily have been treated but Teresa took pleasure out of people’s suffering and viewed it as a worthy sacrifice to God.”

The Workers’ Party representative concluded: “Teresa referred to herself as “apolitical”, but the complete opposite was the truth. She frequently sided with violent oppressors and corrupt businessmen who were benefactors to her multi-million business. She also famously came to Ireland in 1993 urging us to not introduce abortion rights, divorce, or use contraception. She should be remembered as a religious zealot who forced undue suffering on India’s poorest and who swindled millions to promote her fundamentalist agenda.”