Artigenda
International Day of Charity
When: annually, September 5.
The International Day of Charity is linked to a person who is not free from controversy. The views of the person in question do not conform to the norms and values expressed or espoused by many individuals, institutions or organisations. Certainly not when it comes to charity. The person in question was a very conservative religious person, with religion playing such a role that certain beliefs played too negative a role. Think of views on responsible parenthood and contraception, for example. In addition, after the person's death, allegations were made about taking financial resources from parties that were not pure. Consider a former dictator (Jean-Claude Duvalier of Haiti) or the US chairman of US bank Lincoln Savings and Loans, Charles Keating, who had fallen into disrepute during the collapse of this US financial institution. Remarkably, both individuals were included by the Vatican in the canonisation as witnesses (2016), after a beatification had been pronounced in 2003.
The United Nations (UN) declared that September 5 would be the International Day of Charity because this is the day Anjezë Gonxha Bojaxhiu died in 2012. To most people, she was known as Mother Teresa. She died on September 5, 1997.
Who was Mother Teresa?
Anjezë Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje. At the time, Skopje was part of the Ottoman Empire. Today, the city can be found in northern Macedonia. She spent her childhood in Gakovë (in present-day Kosovo), then joined the Order of Our Lady of Loreno (Rathfarnham, Ireland) at the age of 17. In 1928, she left for Kolkata (India), where she would eventually become a symbol of charity.
Name
The choice of her name had everything to do with her inspiration. She found it in Therese of Lisieux (January 2, 1873 – September 30, 1897). Van Lisieux is a French saint and her feast day falls on 1 October. She is considered the patron saint of missionaries and missionary work. She is also the patroness of both France and Russia. She was only 24 years old and died of tuberculosis. This time she did not recover. She would have done it when she was 10 years old until a statue of Mary above her bed smiled at her. This prompted her to join the Order of Discalced Carmelites in Lisieux. This she did, with the permission of Pope Leo XIII, as early as the age of 15.
Fighting leprosy
Mother Theresa cared about the plight of people affected by leprosy and decided that attention should be focused on them. People who were homeless and especially children also deserved attention. She received permission from Pope Pius XII to establish a convent in Kolkata and found an order: the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. This order would grow outside India as well. A total of 90 locations would be established around the world where the order would be based. Also in the Netherlands (since 1977 in Rotterdam).
The work earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
The problem
The work she did was also very good. On the other hand, there was also a lot done that was not good. Opposing family planning, for instance, or what about the tough stances on parenthood? Then there were the dubious connections she had, including those with a dictator. In any case, it was no reason for the Vatican not to beatify her in 2003. Even a canonisation in 2016 went ahead as usual. The UN even decided to establish this day linked to Mother Teresa. A day like this is fine, only the question is whether charity should be linked to a person like this.
More information
The UN has made available a special website with more information on the day.
