FACT CHECK: Is Anthony Fauci Mother Teresa’s Son?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Instagram claims White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci is late nun and missionary Mother Teresa’s son.

Verdict: False

Anthony Fauci’s mother is not Albanian-born Mother Teresa, who does not have any documented children. His mother was from New York and passed away in 1965.

Fact Check:

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, social media users have often shared misinformation about Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S. An image on Instagram shows a photo of Anthony Fauci and a photo of Mother Teresa and claims, “In case you didn’t know, Dr. Fauci is the son of the largest child trafficker on this planet.'”

Mother Teresa was an Albanian-born nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity and was based in India before dying in 1997 in Kolkata, according to Britannica. She was canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church in 2016 by Pope Francis. (RELATED: Is Anthony Fauci Married to Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sister?)

Anthony Fauci is not Mother Teresa’s son. Mother Teresa joined the religious order Sisters of Loreto in 1928 before founding the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, Catholic Online reported. Women who join religious orders, like Mother Teresa, take life-long vows of chastity, according to Catholic News Service. There is no indication Mother Teresa ever had any children.

If Anthony Fauci was related to Mother Teresa, media outlets certainly would have reported on it, yet none have. Anthony Fauci’s mother, Eugenia Fauci, was born in New York and her family is from Italy, according to a 2007 introduction announcing Fauci as a winner of the Association of American Physicians George M. Kober Medal. Eugenia Fauci died in 1965, Anthony Fauci’s father, Stephen Fauci’s 2008 obituary reads.

The Missionaries of Charity was under investigation for child trafficking by Indian authorities in 2018, and two women were arrested in connection with trafficking, NPR reported.

 

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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