John Guillaimier persists in trying to convince readers that God does not exist. He is entitled to his opinion as an atheist but by vilifying Mother Theresa of Calcutta he has gone a step too far. In a world that professes – but does not practice as is so evident in some countries – freedom of religion one cannot but accept his decision not to believe in a God he has never seen.

However, Mother Theresa was there to be seen by all in our own lifetime seeking to console and attend to the needs of the poorest of the poor. She was awarded the Noble Prize by a non-Catholic organisation. By the time of her death in 1997 her Missionaries of Charity had spread to more than 120 countries and touched millions of lives.

Mother Theresa comforted and ensured that anyone she and her sisters encountered in the gutters of Calcutta and elsewhere received medical aid and was not left to die a death bereft of any dignity whatsoever. She made no distinction between believers in God or atheists. Yet Mr Giullaimier feels justified in making disparaging comments on such a saintly soul whose mission on this earth was recognised by eminent members of various religions and even by atheists.

Another correspondent has suggested to Mr Guillaimier a number of books worth his reading. I will not add to that list but simply quote from Fr Joseph Langford’s book Mother Theresa’s Secret Fire:

“Soon after she received the Nobel Prize, Time magazine’s cover story told of a young man, an ardent atheist, who, after reading about Mother Theresa, realised, against all his long-held convictions, that there must be a God. Up until then, all the usual arguments for the existence of God had left him unmoved; but the radiance of that face, and the love in those eyes, and the beauty of that life – that was something different. He abandoned everything – friends and career and future – and entered a monastery.”

I am sure that Mother Theresa has not been offended by what Mr Giullaimier wrote about her and that she is praying for him from her heavenly abode.