The Missionary Position

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice (ISBN 185984054X) is a book by Christopher Hitchens about Mother Teresa's life and work. From the controversial title (using a double entendre to refer to the actions of a celibate nun towards the people with whom she works), the book criticizes Teresa as a political opportunist who has adopted the guise of a saint in order to more effectively raise money in order to spread an extreme and aggressive version of Catholicism.

Hitchens condemns Teresa for using contributions to open convents in 150 countries rather than establishing a teaching hospital, the latter being what he implies donors expected her to do with their gifts. He claims that Teresa is no "friend to the poor" but that she opposes measures to end poverty, particularly those that would raise the status of women above that of cattle.

Hitchens portrays Mother Teresa's organisation, the Missionaries of Charity, as a cult which promotes suffering both to bring people closer to God, and to further its own financial ends and does not help those in need. He argues that Teresa's own words on poverty proved that her intention was not to help people and cites a 1981 press conference in which she was asked: "Do you teach the poor to endure their lot?" She replied: "I think it is very beautiful for the poor to accept their lot, to share it with the passion of Christ. I think the world is being much helped by the suffering of the poor people."

In the book, Hitchen's details Mother Teresa's relationships with wealthy and corrupt individuals incuding Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and his wife Michèle Duvalier, enigmatic quasi-religious figure John-Roger and disgraced former financial executive Charles Keating.

The book includes the reproduction of a letter written on behalf of Keating to Judge Lance Ito who was presiding over Keating's trial for defrauding his investors of billions of dollars. The letter urged the judge to consider the fact that Keating had donated generously ($1.25 million) to the Missionaries of Charity and suggested that Judge Ito "look into [his] heart" and "do what Jesus would do."

Hitchens also includes the contents of a letter written to Mother Teresa by the man prosecuting the case against Keating, a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles by the name of Paul Turley. In the letter, Mr. Turley pointed out to Mother Teresa that Keating was on trial for stealing more than $250 million from over 17,000 investors in his business. In addition, Turley expresses his opinion that "[n]o church, no charity, no organization should allow itself to be used as a salve for the conscience of the criminal" and suggests,

"Ask yourself what Jesus would do if he were given the fruits of a crime; what Jesus would do if he were in possession of money that had been stolen; what Jesus would do if he were being exploited by a thief to ease his conscience? I submit that Jesus would promptly and unhesitatingly return the stolen property to its rightful owners. You should do the same. You have been given money by Mr. Keating that he has been convicted of stealing by fraud. Do not permit him the 'indulgence' he desires. Do not keep the money. Return it to those who worked for it and earned it! If you contact me I will put you in direct contact with the rightful owners of the property now in your possession."

After the concusion of the letter, Hitchens states that "Mr. Turley has received no reply to his letter. Nor can anyone account for the missing money: saints, it seems, are immune to audit."

Library Journal called the book a "readable, caustic polemic [which] is very short on biographical data and cited sources and lacks scholarly development. Given its provocative nature, it is recommended for libraries owning several titles about Mother Teresa despite its weaknesses." [1] (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/185984054X//qid=1067274210/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-3036357-6449614?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews)

The New York Times Book Review said that the book is "very short, zealously overwritten, and rails wildly in defense of an almost nonsensical proposition: that Mother Teresa of Calcutta is actually not a saint but an evil and selfish old woman. And Mr. Hitchens . . . is rather convincing... Hitchens argues his case with consummate style." [2] (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/185984054X//qid=1067274210/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-3036357-6449614?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews)

External links

• Slate interview about the book (http://slate.msn.com/id/2090083/)