---------------------------------------------------------- What's On In Goa: * Oct 11: Konkani translation of Satre book, Alliance Francaise * Oct 11: Friday Balcao, Mapusa. Mental health, suicides 4pm * Oct 12: History Reading (Farar Far by Dr Pratima Kamat, Fundacao 5pm * Oct 12: Goa Orchestra performs at the Kala (Corelli, Bach) * Oct 15: Magic in town... Illusion India show, Panjim then Vasco * Oct 16-17: Ornithology workshop, Bondla southernbirdwing.com ----------------------------------------------------------
Doctor alleges pressure not to contradict miracle claim By Krittivas Mukherjee, Indo-Asian News Service Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) The controversy surrounding a medical miracle attributed to Mother Teresa is turning ugly with a doctor alleging he is being pressed by Christian missionaries not to contradict the claim. Ranjan Murshed, chief of the Balurghat Hospital where a tribal woman was treated for an abdominal tumour in 1998, says the patient was cured after medication and not by a miracle. "But they (Christian missionaries) want me to say that the case of Monica Besra was beyond the comprehension of medical science and that she was cured by a miracle," Murshed told a Bengali news channel. The Vatican has recognised the healing of Besra's tumour as a "miracle" by Mother Teresa, the late nun whose medallion the patient had worn and to whom she had prayed. The church is considering Mother Teresa for sainthood and the instance of a miraculous act is an imperative part of the process. Murshed said Besra was suffering from tubercular meningitis and had developed an ovarian tumour. Several tests and ultrasonography had been conducted on her and the tumour detected. The doctor claimed the treatment went on for nine months, at the end of which Besra was completely cured. "She was cured after a prolonged anti-tubercular treatment," Murshed said. Several rationalists are sceptical of the miracle claim. At least one minister in West Bengal -- the state the Albanian-born Mother Teresa made her home -- has demanded a health department inquiry and legal proceedings in case fraud was detected. A Salesian priest, Fr. A.C. Jose, considered an authority on canonisation laws of the church, has also called for a review of the process because there were doubts about the Besra miracle. "The miracle should be examined again to protect the reputation of the church," Jose said. The Vatican has been moving on Mother Teresa's sainthood process with extraordinary speed because of the Albanian-born nun's immense popularity worldwide. The church made certain exceptions like allowing the sainthood process to start only about a year after her death. Usually the process begins five years after a candidate's death. Mother Teresa, the 14th person from India to be considered for sainthood, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 26, 1910. She came to Calcutta, now Kolkata, on January 6, 1929. Her life was transformed after hearing a "call within a call" to serve the ailing humanity while she was on her way to the north Bengal hill town of Darjeeling on September 10, 1946. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1949, a year after which it received the church's approval. The nun received the Nobel peace prize in 1979. She died here on September 5, 1997. Kings, queens and heads of states attended came to attend her funeral. --Indo-Asian News Service ======================================================================== To view GoaNet's archives http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goa-net ======================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don't want so many e-mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead!
