Mother Teresa, who will be canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday, had a faith-based altruism that "scared the atheist" and socialists, the Catholic League's Bill Donohue told Newsmax TV on Wednesday.
"Why would a socialist have a problem with Mother Teresa?" the league's president since 1993, asked "The Steve Malzberg Show" in an interview. "Because in the mind of the radical socialist, helping the dispossessed is the job of the state and the state alone.
"When they see private, voluntary efforts, outreach efforts for the destitute — particularly when it's coming from a Christ-centered person — that's a threat and an obstacle and a deterrent.
"They also relatedly regard altruism as a myth," he added. "They must because most altruists in history have been faith-based people."
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Donohue, 69, is the author of the new book, "Unmasking Mother Teresa's Critics."
"Altruism does scare the atheist," he told host Bill Tucker. "Who were the people who most likely to risk their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust?
"People of faith. Catholics, number one.
"Who were the least likely? The self-absorbed. The narcissist. The secularist.
"When you talk about altruism, the militant secularist gets his back up."
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