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Journalism of Courage
Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity is the main reason behind his visit to Kolkata. Diego Maradona started off his Sunday by paying homage to the ‘Apostle of Peace’.
He spent half-an-hour at the Mother House…Lit a candle at Mother’s tomb, participated in a prayer session with the sisters and shook hands with the orphan children. For long, he had nurtured this wish. Today it was fulfilled.
“I wanted to see what Mother Teresa has done in this city. So I wanted to visit Mother House during this trip,” Maradona said as he disclosed why he agreed to come here.
Clad in a black T-shirt and denim trousers, Maradona went there in a Merc as deafening cheers from thousands of people, who waited there for hours — some of them perching themselves precariously on the trees and walls of nearby buildings — greeted him. The soccer genius appeared to be in high spirits and waved and threw flying kisses to the crowd. He was received by the nuns of the order and was taken inside where he and partner Veronica were welcomed with a blue-white garland. He then went round the building and met the young orphans, some of them mentally challenged. Maradona patted them, kissed and embraced some of them. Then he proceeded to the Mother’s grave.
Hands clasped, Maradona stood silently before the tomb, and then lit a candle, as the sisters sang prayers. He then knelt down and kissed the white marble tomb.
Maradona was also taken to Mother’s statue, while Missionaries of Charity superior general Sister Nirmala presented him with a book containing the experience of some of those who have worked with the Mother. Before leaving, Maradona went back to the kids. “Bye, bye”, he said and left amidst loud cheers from the fans who chanted “Viva Maradona”.
