By IANS,
New Delhi : US envoy to India Timothy J. Roemer Thursday paid homage to India’s “saint of the gutters” Mother Teresa on her birth centenary and said her work “inspires” all.
“I join with Indians, Americans and many millions around the world who today honour the memory of one of the most extraordinary women of the 20th century,” he said during his visit to the Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity orphanage in the national capital.
“My family and I have had the privilege of visiting the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity in Kolkata and many of the orphanages founded by Mother Teresa across India.
“On each of these occasions, I have been moved by the supreme humanity of this woman who dedicated her life to bringing love and dignity to each human being,” said a statement issued here.
“Mother Teresa’s work in India is an inspiration for us all,” he added.
Mother Teresa’s birth centenary celebrations began Thursday from the Missionaries of Charity global headquarters in Kolkata.
The Albania-born nun, born Aug 26, 1910, took Indian citizenship and dedicated her life ministering to the poor, the infirm and the sick.
She came to India in 1929, set up the Kolkata-headquartered Missionaries of Charity 21 years later, and died here Sep 5, 1997. She was buried at Mother House, the global headquarters of her congregation here.