KOLKATA (UCAN): The Indian government has moved to cut off foreign funding to the Missionaries of Charity [MC], founded by St. Mother Teresa in 1950, a decision critics described as further evidence of harassment of Christians under the Hindu nationalist government.
The late Mother Teresa, a Nobel Prize winner, devoted most of her life to helping the poor in the city of Kolkata.
“We have been informed that our FCRA [Foreign Contribution Regulation Act] renewal application has not been approved. Therefore, as a measure to ensure there is no lapse we have asked our centres not to operate any of the FC [foreign contribution] accounts until the matter is resolved,” the congregation’s superior general, Sister Prema, said in a statement on December 27. The congregation, however, rejected reports that its bank accounts had been frozen.
In India, a license under the FCRA is a must for receiving foreign donations and the congregation is largely dependent on foreign contributions to carry out its charitable works.
The Missionaries of Charity runs shelter homes across India. According to the Hindu daily, it received around US$750 million [$5.8 billion] from abroad in the 2020 to 2021 financial year.
The congregation’s clarification came after Indian media reported that the federal government had frozen its foreign fund accounts and sought help for maintaining thousands of inmates living its different orphanages and care homes across India.
The Indian Home Ministry said that on December 25—Christmas Day—the renewal of the charity’s licence to receive funding from abroad had been “refused.”
The statement, issued on December 27, claimed that the reason was “not meeting the eligibility conditions” under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act after “adverse inputs were noticed”, without giving further details.
“The MC nuns care for thousands of the rejected of India without counting the cost. Stopping the flow of funds to them, in simple terms, means depriving the poorest of the poor in India—humans whom no one cares for,” said a Jesuit right activist, Father Cedric Prakash.
The government move denies destitute people “the basic human need of shelter and food—not to mention the acceptance, warmth and love which they desperately need and which the sisters and brothers give them so ungrudgingly,” Father Prakash said.
He wanted the government to “reconsider this terrible decision and restore the good name and work of the MC nuns.”
He added, “If there are any laxities or shortcomings the MC nuns must be helped to address them and above all, to ensure that those who are cared for in the MC institutions are not deprived of this basic humanitarian assistance.”
Father Dominic Gomes, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, said the announcement was “a cruel Christmas gift to the poorest of the poor”.
Father Gomes said, “Besides over 22,000 direct dependants and beneficiaries at their centres across the country, MC Sisters and Brothers reach out to uplift thousands and are often the only friends of the lepers and social outcast no one will even venture near.”
The news came two weeks after police in Gujarat began investigating the charity for alleged “forceful conversion” of Hindus to Christianity—a regular accusation by hardline members of India’s majority religion [Sunday Examiner, 26 December 2021].
