Washington, 04 October, 2023 / 11:55 am (ACI Africa).
The chief promoter of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s cause for canonization says a new film about the beloved saint is hampered by “grave errors” in how its producers approached the life of the celebrated nun.
Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the director of the Mother Teresa Center and the postulator of the cause of beatification and canonization of Mother Teresa, said in a Sept. 28 statement before the release of “Mother Teresa and Me” that its creators committed “several crucial errors” in portraying the doubts St. Teresa experienced in her life even as she devoted herself to living out the Gospel in her care for the sick and poor.
“Mother Teresa and Me” tells the story of Kavita, a young woman who finds herself with an unexpected pregnancy. Battling whether or not to get an abortion, she returns to her hometown in India where her now very old nanny shares the story of Mother Teresa’s first days working in the streets of Calcutta. Learning how Mother Teresa faced many doubts after no longer being able to hear the voice of Jesus, Kavita is inspired.
The film’s writer and director, Kamal Musale, claimed on the film’s website, before it was revised, that the film’s portrayal of Teresa is “more true to life” because of its treatment of how she “lost her faith” and apparently “never recovered from it.”
“During [an] approximately 12-year period, Teresa goes through a complete change, from the intensity of her epiphany to the disillusionment and the realization that her connection with God is lost,” Musale said.
