Rome, Italy, Sep 5, 2016 / 13:14 pm
It's a little-known fact that near the end of her life, Mother Teresa went to China three times in order to establish her order there, but was "heartbroken" when her efforts failed because of the poor diplomatic relations between China and the Holy See.
"Mother Teresa long dreamed of serving the people of China and, after bringing her sisters around the world – including to Russia, the United States and Muslim countries – China became and remained her focus," said Fr. John Worthley, who lived and taught in China for many years and accompanied Mother Teresa on all three of her trips.
"Indeed, Pope St. John Paul II asked her to live her final years as a bridge of love and reconciliation to China from the Universal Church," Fr. Worthley said at a symposium on Mother Teresa held Sept. 2 in Rome.
Reconciliation between China and the Universal Church may not be far off, according to Fr. Worthley. "I am very hopeful that something will happen soon. There's been a lot of good discussion and both sides are getting close to being ready," Fr. Worthley told CNA.