Icons of Sanctity
Which of these two is the greater saint?
I raise this question in order to probe our easy assumptions about sanctity, religion, and -- yes -- both Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi, portrayed here in an icon as a Christian saint, was an extremely devout Hindu, a masterful strategist, and by no means the absolute pacifist he is sometimes taken to be. Should he be considered a saintly figure -- or even a Christ-like one? Is sanctity possible extra ecclesia?
And Mother Teresa? She hobnobbed with the Duvaliers in Haiti, even going so far as to declare that they loved their people... Does that make her an aider and abettor of dictators, or one who judges not lest she be judged? In her concern for the souls of the dying she was faithful to Catholic doctrine in a manner which was naturally offensive to many Indians, and to humanistic thinking in general.
Is sanctity itself a prerogative of the Vatican, or an naturally occurring human quality of compassionate commitment?

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