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The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, began his first official visit to India this Saturday with a stop filled with religious symbolism: the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, the congregation founded by Mother Teresa.
Rubio arrived with his wife Jeanette and was welcomed at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata by the American ambassador Sergio Gor.
During the visit to the Missionaries of Charity, the Secretary of State prayed with the sisters and discussed the humanitarian work of the congregation with the most vulnerable.
The images from the visit show Rubio and his wife alongside nuns dressed in the characteristic white habit with blue stripes, in front of a portrait of Mother Teresa, while dozens of sisters watched and applauded them from the convent balcony.
Rubio shared his experience on social media with a message in which he emphasized the legacy of the Albanian saint.
"Mother Teresa left a tremendous legacy of compassion and service. I had the honor of visiting the Missionaries of Charity today to pay tribute to her legacy and witness the living example of the Catholic faith in action."
Sister Marie Juan, who attended to the Secretary of State, told journalists that Rubio "spoke about assistance for the homeless, terminally ill individuals, and those affected by leprosy."
"He was happy to pray, and we were also happy to have him with us," the religious sister added.
The visit sparked debate in India about the regulations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which governs the receipt of funds from abroad by organizations like the congregation, whose license was revoked by the Indian government in December 2021 and renewed in January 2022 following a wave of international criticism.
Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants and a practicing Catholic, has made his faith a recurring element in his public life.
The official tour will run until May 26 and includes Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, where Rubio will hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
On the energy front, the Secretary of State declared before departing that the United States wants to sell India "as much energy as they are willing to buy," referring to the global oil price crisis caused by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The highlight of the tour will be the meeting of the Quad foreign ministers —the group consisting of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States— scheduled for Tuesday in New Delhi, a mechanism seen as a crucial counterweight to Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.
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