US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Calcutta, visits Mother Saint Teresa

In this May 23, 2026 file photo, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gore and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visit the Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity of St. Teresa, in Kolkata, West Bengal. Photo: X/@USAmbIndia/X via PTI

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday (May 23, 2026) began his first four-day visit to India by visiting the Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity of Saint Teresa, in Kolkata.

Marco Rubio in India LIVE – May 23, 2026

Mr. Rubio arrived in Calcutta this morning and went to the Mother House in central Calcutta. Secretary Rubio was welcomed by the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, where he spent about an hour. After visiting the Mother House. Mr. Rubio visited Nirmala Sishu Bhawan, an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity. After visiting the Missionaries of Charity, Secretary Rubio visited the Victoria Memorial in the city. Security has been beefed up at the Mother House and Victoria Memorial for the high-profile visit.

Secretary Rubio arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata around 6:50 am where he was greeted by US Ambassador Sergio Gor. He was also welcomed by West Bengal government officials and officials of the US Consulate in Kolkata.

“Honored to welcome my friend @SecRubio to India! We have an ambitious agenda ahead of us, including the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, to advance @POTUS’s vision for an even stronger US-India partnership. We look forward to great conversations and making real progress together!” Ambassador Gor posted on social media. Later in the day, the US Secretary of State is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Secretary Marco Rubio landed in Calcutta. This is his first trip to India. We will call the Prime Minister later today @narendramodi in New Delhi. Business, Technology, Defense, QUAD and many more things to discuss and progress in the coming days!

— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) May 23, 2026

It is an honor to welcome my friend @SecRubio to India! We have an ambitious program ahead of us, including a Quad meeting of foreign ministers, focused on progress @POTUSa vision for an even stronger US-India partnership. We look forward to great conversations and real progress… pic.twitter.com/NpCQRVeUIm

— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) May 23, 2026

The US Secretary of State’s visit to the Mother House in Calcutta also assumes significance, especially after the suspension of the Foreign Contribution Act (Regulation) FRCA, license for the Catholic organization. US Congressman Chris Smith urged the Secretary of State to raise the issue of the FCRA license suspension of the Missionaries of Charity.

Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun in 1950, has become synonymous with Kolkata with several international dignitaries visiting the Catholic NGO dedicated to serving the poor and homeless. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and almost two decades after her death in 1997, canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016.

“He (Secretary Rubio) wanted a blessing at Mother’s tomb. So we prayed together and that’s it, nothing else happened. It was just a family meeting,” a representative of the Missionaries of Charity told the media.

TMC condemns ‘hypocrisy’

Meanwhile, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose condemned the “utter hypocrisy” of the Narendra Modi government. “An anti-Christian government that, through the new FCRA bill, has banned the Missionaries of Charity from receiving foreign aid and is allowing church property to be seized, destroying the ability of Christian institutions to provide the humanitarian, massive educational and health service they are known for, yet is now showcasing our revered Mother Teresa’s organization for an international visitor,” she said in a post on X.

The previous occasion when the city hosted a US Secretary of State was in May 2012 when Hillary Clinton visited Kolkata and met then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Minister Rubio’s visit to Kolkata comes weeks after the BJP first came to power in West Bengal.

Calcutta has been an important city in terms of bilateral relations between India and the US. Calcutta occupies a prominent place in the history of American diplomacy as one of the oldest American consulates in the world and the first ever established in India.

Published – 23 May 2026 07:31 IST