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🇭🇷 Croatia /Culture & Society

She devoted her life to the sick and poor, but critics did not spare the Nobel laureate declared a saint by the pope

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Mother Teresa died in Calcutta on Sept. 5, 1997, shortly after celebrating her 87th birthday.
  • She devoted her life to serving what she called the “poorest among the poor” and opened the first Missionaries of Charity home in this part of Europe in Zagreb.
  • Pope Francis declared her a saint in 2016, although critics also linked her work to serious controversies.

On Sept. 5, 1997, the world lost a woman who had abandoned everything to devote her life to selfless service to “the poorest among the poor.” Mother Teresa died in Calcutta just 10 days after celebrating her 87th birthday.

The humanitarian opened the first home of the Missionaries of Charity in this part of Europe in Zagreb. On July 19, 1990, she became the first woman to receive the title of honorary citizen of Zagreb after the establishment of multiparty democracy.

Her public legacy later took on another dimension. Nearly two decades after her death, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint in 2016.

Yet the recognition did not silence her critics. Some argued that serious controversies were connected to her work, placing the celebrated humanitarian and Nobel laureate at the center of continuing debate.

the poorest among the poor

· Mother TeresaThe phrase described the people to whom she devoted her life and service.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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