Diplomatic Piety at the Tomb of a Modernist Icon
National Catholic Register portal reports that on May 23, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his first visit to India, began his itinerary at the tomb of Mother Teresa of Kolkata at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. He attended a “special Mass,” laid a wreath with the inscription “With Respect and Tribute from the People of The United States of America,” and later distributed teddy bears to disabled children at a nearby home. The visit was framed by the Catholic media as a gesture of solidarity with the Christian community in India, which faces increasing persecution under the BJP government, and as a tribute to the legacy of the woman canonized in 2016. This event, presented as a diplomatic courtesy and a spiritual homage, is in reality a profound manifestation of the alliance between the powers of this world and the neo-church, using the figure of a controversial modernist icon to advance a narrative of naturalistic compassion, while the true Faith is marginalized and persecuted.









