For mysterious reasons, U.S. politicians and major media outlets are today hyperventilating over one religious group’s unproven claims of ghostly miracle cures. President Obama has sent a presidential delegation to pay tribute to the ghost faith healer.

I’m speaking, of course, of today’s canonization of Mother Teresa by the Catholic Church, making her a saint. A saint is someone Catholics believe has special after-death powers to which they can appeal for miracles, as evidenced by at least two miracles so far.

The political and media honors would be slightly more understandable if this were one of the secular tributes for her that have also taken place for her non-miraculous work. Work, that is, which largely involved raising vast sums of money to convert Hindus to Catholicism and crusade against contraception and abortion, thereby increasing poverty and suffering. Using the funds to bring modern medical cures and comforts went against her belief that poverty and physical pain made sufferers more holy to Jesus.

But no, in this case the honors are for her elevation in heaven to God’s miracle broker.

My question is, how exactly does Pres. Obama determine which unproven miracle cures to honor? Will we soon be seeing this? Catholics may say Mother Teresa caused one miracle cure in Brazil, but Protestants say they’ve cured hundreds:

With thousands more all over the world.

Who are President Obama and CNN to pick and choose which religion’s unproven miracle cures should be honored? Peter Popoff’s claims for his Miracle Spring Water are just as deserving as the Pope’s claims for Teresa. There are so many heartfelt testimonies that we’re clearly in need of a White House Office of Miracle Cures to organize the tributes. Are Catholic miracles more impressive than Protestant miracles? I think not! Did Teresa ever cure people by throwing her nun’s habit at them like the vastly popular Rev. Hinn? No!

Are Catholic lives saved by faith healing worth more than Protestant lives? Really, what gives, Mr. President? Shouldn’t all religious miracle cures receive similar level of respect, including Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Voodoo, tribal groups, or New Agers like Edgar Cayce?

Heaven forbid that the fawning over this particular faith healer be more about the claiming organization’s power and influence? Are you sure, Mr. President, that sucking up to the Vatican is worth endorsing medieval superstitions that trap people in poverty and suffering?