BIRTHDAY greetings for Mother Teresa of Calcutta brought hope for the ailing Nobel Peace Laureate yesterday, as doctors treating her for malaria and heart problems declared she was in better condition.
Mother Teresa, champion of the poor and destitute, who is 86 today, sat up in bed for the first time after being hospitalised a week ago. She prayed with some nuns from the Missionaries of Charity who came to greet her a day before her birthday.
She scribbled short notes to doctors and well wishers as she slowly gathered strength in her fight against malaria and a faltering heart, doctors said.
"We are very hopeful, but she is not out of danger as her heart beat is still irregular," said Dr J.C. Ghosh at the Woodlands Nursing Home in Calcutta.
Although she was intermittently on a respirator, her malaria and lung infection had been contained.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people, including Italians, Spaniards and Americans, have been attending special prayers for Mother Teresa at the special hall of the Missionaries of Charity while anxious callers were jamming the nursing home telephone lines.
The tension among them eased yesterday morning as news about Mother Teresa's improving condition spread. "The power of collective prayer has been responsible for the miracle," said a volunteer from Canada.
A few hundred metres away about 30 children prayed in a small chapel, and over 200 lepers also contributed their good wishes by gathering at Gandhiji Prem Sadan, a centre run by the Missionaries of Charity in a Calcutta suburb.
The Indian parliament wished the frail, Catholic nun from Albania a speedy recovery and congratulated "the apostle of peace, love and affection" on her birthday.
Over the weekend, hundreds of Budhists, Muslims and Hindus held a silent prayer meeting at a small church in Calcutta for Mother Teresa's recovery. "She is not only the mother of the Christian community, but the mother of all communities," her wellwishers said in a joint statement.
President Sali Berisha of Albania said yesterday the country was praying for Mother Teresa so that she may continue her "humane and divine mission".
