The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
Quick Summary
Christopher Hitchens's The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice is a critical examination of Mother Teresa and her work. Hitchens, a prominent atheist and critic of religion, questioned the effectiveness and ethics of Mother Teresa's organization, the Missionaries of Charity.12
Founded in 1950 by Mother Teresa in Kolkata, India, the Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic congregation dedicated to serving the poor, including orphans, the elderly, the homeless, and those with disabilities or illnesses like leprosy and HIV/AIDS. The order operates globally, relying on donations to support its simple lifestyle and ministry.13
Hitchens's book alleged that Mother Teresa supported dictators and criticized the quality of care in some of her facilities, as well as accusations of covert baptisms of the dying. Despite these criticisms, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace and was later canonized.14
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