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(Vatican Radio)  With Mother Teresa's canonization taking place on Sunday, the Indian Bishop's Conference has called her 'a fully Indian saint', though she was born in Skopje in what became the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, general Secretary of the Indian Bishops' Conference, said in a press conference, "Mother Teresa merged the values of the Gospel with Indian values, devoting herself to the poorest of the poor. And the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said what many Indians think: Mother Teresa is 'our' saint".

Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai explained to Vatican Radio's Olivier Bonell what the bishops meant when they called her 'a fully Indian saint'.

Listen to the interview:

Archbishop Machado said, "She is truly an Indian saint because Mother Teresa came from elsewhere to India, but once she came to India, she made India her country, in her heart."

He explained that she became Indian herself through her love for the poor of India.

"Mother Teresa spent her life and with great pride as an Indian. She spent her life for every poor [person], for every Indian. She made the culture of India her own."

"She choose the sari as her official religious habit; that was a sign. She went in for something that was so much part of the life-culture of the people in Bengal. And she learned the Bengali language, and her gestures were always those of the Indian people."

Archbishop Machado said her inculturation in India was a reflection of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

"She became incarnate, completely incarnated, in the soil of India. And that is why her sainthood for us bishops is the sainthood of a true Indian saint."

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(Vatican Radio)  Uzbekistan has buried long-ruling President Islam Karimov on Saturday, only a day after the government announced the death of the authoritarian leader following a stroke at the age of 78. The Soviet Republic awaits a period of uncertainty amid expected infighting over a successor.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Thousands of Uzbeks lined up along the main roads of Tashkent where many threw roses as a procession of black vehicles made its way though the capital following the death of long-time President Islam Karimov. State television also showed soldiers loading a coffin onto a plane for what it described as Karimov's final journey to his hometown of Samarkand.

In Samarkand, Karimov was laid to rest following an Islamic funeral ceremony -- attended by thousands of people, including foreign heads of states --
on the historic Registan Square.

Foreign officials, including Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov attended the ceremony, which began with religious prayers.

Neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan sent their prime ministers to the funeral.

"SON OF NATION"

Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev, the head of the commission organizing the funeral, gave a speech in the ceremony and paid tribute to Karimov, whom he called the “founder of the state” and a “great and dear son of the nation.”

The funeral came shortly after after an announcer on state-controlled announced that Karimov had died. "Peace be upon you. Dear countrymen, with deep sadness in our hearts we announce the death of our dear President Islam Abduganievech Karimov. On September 2 in the city of Tashkent he passed away in the hospital with the diagnosis of 'irrevocable changes in the brain, polygonal deficiency of blood and brain hemorrhage," he said.

"The first president of our Republic was a great historian and politician for a young country. In the crucial moment, thanks to his mind and courage, he was able to bring our country to its greatness without seeing the horrors of war. He won the boundless love of our people and will forever live in our hearts as a great politician. He was the first guide into a peaceful and flourishing life for our people," the announcer added.

That enthusiasm isn't shared by rights activists.

They recall him as as ruthless leader known for cracking down on dissent and independent media.

TROOPS KILL DEMONSTRATORS

His troops reportedly killed hundreds unarmed demonstrators with machine guns during a 2005 uprising. Karimov also jailed thousands of political opponents, and his henchmen reportedly boiled some dissidents to death.

Karimov became leader of Uzbekistan in 1989 when it was a Soviet republic, then held power throughout all of Uzbekistan independence.

However he cultivated no apparent successor, and his death has raised concerns that the predominantly Sunni Muslim country could face prolonged infighting among clans over its leadership. Analysts have warned that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan could exploit the uncertainty. 

Over the years, the group has been affiliated with the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and it has sent fighters abroad.

Under the Uzbek constitution, if the president dies his duties pass temporarily to the head of the senate until an election can be held within three months. However, observers say the head of the Uzbek senate is regarded as unlikely to seek permanent power and Karimov's demise is expected to set off a period of fighting for political influence.

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Rome, Italy, Sep 3, 2016 / 11:21 am (CNA).- As the canonization of Bl. Mother Teresa of Caluctta draws near, the son of a leading Muslim philanthropist in Pakistan praised the nun’s example, recalling how his late father had admired her and believed in learning from her example.

“We should learn from her. Muslims should adopt the concept of missionary spirit. We have been negligent on many levels, not many people are involved in humanitarian mission.”

These are the words of Abdul Sattar Edhi, a Muslim and one of the most well-known philanthropists in Pakistan. Often called the “Mother Teresa of Pakistan,” Edhi passed away July 8 at the age of 88.

On the night he died, the Archdiocese of Karachi organized a prayer vigil in churches throughout the diocese to pray for his intentions. His funeral was attended by swarms of people from different faith backgrounds who wanted to honor him and the many social works he initiated.

Born in the small village of Gujarat, India in 1928, Edhi had to move his family to Pakistan in 1947 when the country was partitioned. It was there that he began his first free medical clinic, which today has turned into a large foundation, the “Edhi Foundation,” that is home to some 5,700 people in 17 residential institutions and which organizes 1,500 ambulances.

The network Edhi founded runs dozens of free hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes, orphanages and rehab centers for drug addicts, and each center contains a cot where children from unwanted pregnancies can be left.  

In addition to his social work, Edhi received several international awards. His wife is also engaged in the humanitarian field, and in 2015 received the “International Mother Teresa Prize.” However, despite his awards, Edhi led a simple life and shunned positions of power. After his death, Edhi’s son Faisal took charge of the foundation. 

Faisal sent a message for the occasion of Mother Teresa’s Sept. 4 canonization, which was read aloud at a Sept. 2 symposium organized by Asia News.

Mother Teresa, he said, “was a great social worker who dedicated her whole life to the service of humanity without distinction of caste or religion. Her canonization will immortalize her service for the poorest of the poor.”

People like Mother Teresa, he said, help create a good environment that can assist “in ending rivalries between nations and communities.”

Faisal recalled how his father Abdul had frequently spoken of Mother Teresa and her work, saying that Muslims must learn her example and service to others.

He noted how both his father and Mother Teresa lived during the same period, and how both had been criticized in papers by “religious hardliners” who “claimed conversions,” perhaps because “they had no other argument.”

“Only missionary spirit can help them in working for the welfare of others and understanding their sufferings,” he said.

Faisal recalled how his father had always admired the Catholic nuns who ran two centers for the disabled in Karachi, and that Abdul “kept close relations with missionaries and used to send me to there.”

He noted how their family continues to support the centers, and each day sends five kilograms of mutton to Dar ul Sukun, the largest Church-run center for the mentally and physically disabled in Karachi.

On the day of Abdul’s death, Karachi Archbishop Joseph Coutts and a small delegation from the archdiocese came to the Edhi Foundation and prayed in the philanthropist’s room, lighting candles and offering prayers. 

Faisal recalled how the archbishop gave him a candle that came from the Vatican, and noted that may priests attended his father’s funeral and prayed for him in their Masses the following Sunday.

“We have people of all faiths in our centers but we never count how many of them are non-Muslims,” he said, explaining that “we respect and treat everybody equally.”

Faisal closed his letter by noting how his father had “trained me to do what Mother Teresa did,” and voiced his hope that he would be able to serve the poor as she did. 

“As a Muslim social worker in Pakistan, I thanks Missionaries for their kindness and establishment centers that work without any discrimination in our third world country,” he said, adding that “there is no other example of the ways in which they help the disabled, especially handicapped children.”

He noted that Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world, with a population of 201 million people. The state, he said, has failed to provide basic facilities such as public transport, quality healthcare and education. 

“Much work needs to be done and we need more people like Mother Teresa.”


 

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