because she did not know what was going on. But, as more than one critic
has pointed out, the fact that she was in contact with her mother and sis-
ter until they died, along with her repeated attempts to get them out of
the country, or at least to gain permission to visit, demonstrate that
Mother Teresa, in fact, knew well the conditions present in the country.
In addition, earlier that year, Mother Teresa had met with the widow of
the Albanian king, Queen Geraldine, when the country’s predicament
surely would have been discussed.
In the wake of the Nobel Prize ceremonies, many of Mother Teresa’s
supporters stated that she did not comment on the Albanian question be-
cause she refused to become involved in any controversial political
stances, as that was incompatible with her primary mission: helping the
poor. But her detractors point out that, by making her comments on abor-
tion, Mother Teresa was in fact involving herself in what was clearly one
of the most heated political arguments of the day.
DAPHNE RAE AND LOVE UNTIL IT HURTS
Following Mother Teresa’s winning of the Nobel Prize, activity at the
Motherhouse at 54A Lower Circular Road picked up considerably. Offers
and donations poured in from all over the world, as many companies and
individuals offered to help the Missionaries of Charity. From Bata Shoe
Company came leather for leprosy patients to make shoes. Help the Aged,
a nonprofit organization based in England, donated money for meals. An
international organization, the Rotary Club, also pledged money and help
for Mother Teresa. Also aiding Mother Teresa in her work were many
wealthy individuals who gave both time and money for the poor.
One of these volunteers was Daphne Rae, who came to Calcutta to
work in the slums. Rae was the wife of the headmaster of Westminster,
one of the best schools in England. Rae, originally from Sri Lanka, con-
verted to Catholicism in 1977 and came to Calcutta in 1979, leaving her
husband and six children to work with Mother Teresa. Altogether, she
traveled to the city three times in order to work with the Missionaries of
Charity. She brought with her large donations of medical supplies and
medicines and spent much of her time at Nirmal Hriday and the chil-
dren’s home. But, suddenly, Rae stopped working with Mother Teresa, and
instead devoted her energy to working with lesser-known organizations
also dedicated to helping India’s poor.
Although she never publicly stated why she no longer worked with the
Missionaries of Charity, Rae’s 1981 book, Love until It Hurts: Mother
BLESSINGS AND BLAME 117