Sister Prema takes charge: Will go to Kandhamal if God inspires

After taking charge over the 62-year-old Missionaries of Charity (MoC), Sister Mary Prema on Friday said she would travel to Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district if she received divine inspiration.

During a media conference, the German born nun said, "If God inspires me, I'll definitely intervene" adding that "We forgive those who caused us suffering."

While expressing her views on the controversial religious conversion occurring in the country, the head of MoC said, "Every human being has the right to believe. Each person is born with dignity. Religious conversion is God's work."

The new superior-general replaces Sister Nirmala who was elected for the third-time but refused to lead citing ill health and a desire to live a contemplative life in the congregation.

"My election was a bit of a surprise to me. I had no plans, Mother led the society quite amazingly. Sister Nirmala followed her. Now, I have to follow Sister Nirmala," the IANS quoted her as saying.

"I'll work for the poor, the downtrodden. I will work to eradicate poverty," she emphasized.

The 55-year-old nun joined the religious order after reading about Mother Teresa in the book "Something Beautiful for God" by Malcolm Muggeridge.

"Inspired by the book, I met Mother in 1980 in a youth meeting in Berlin, and joined the MoC the same year in Essen, Germany," she said.

Prema hoped that the young generation in India would take an interest to join the MoC. "Through our humble service and plain lifestyle we have to draw the young generation," she said.

The MoC established in 1950 by Mother Teresa consists of over 4,950 sisters and is active in 133 countries. It has 766 Mother Houses all over the world.