Zagreb, September 6, 1997 (IKA) – On the occasion of the death of Mother Teresa on September 5, 1997, Franjo Cardinal Kuharić of Zagreb sent a letter of condolence to Mother Nirmala, Mother Teresa#!s successor as head of the Missionaries of Charity, which IKA presents in its entirety :
Dear Mother Nirmala,
I express to you and the entire order of the Missionaries of Charity my profound Christian condolences on the occasion of the death of Mother Teresa. We are sorrowful because she has departed from this world but we are certain that she has gone to the heavenly Church to be our intercessor. To the end, she fulfilled the words of the Gospels: “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.”
In an extraordinary manner, Mother Teresa#!s love for the poorest of the poor kindled the light of goodness that inspired many to do good. She bore witness for Jesus Christ and his Gospels, bringing the values of the Spirit into the civilization of materialism. She opposed the culture of death with testimony to the sanctity and dignity of every life, thereby promoting the civilization of love. We are grateful that she sent her sisters to serve the poor in Zagreb.
On Wednesday, September 10, we shall celebrate a Requiem Mass in the Zagreb Cathedral so that the Lord will glorify her in his glory as a model of the Church. May her example serve as a permanent inspiration in the lives of her spiritual daughters. She walked the world doing good, with the Rosary in her hands and the Cross in her heart.
I send you and all the sisters my heartfelt greetings in Christ, wishing you God#!s blessing.

Franjo Cardinal Kuharić