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MANGALORE: The funeral of Archbishop Ambrose Madtha who was the Papal Nuncio to Ivory Coast will be held on Saturday at Holy Redeemer Church, Belthangady, his native parish. He died in a road accident in Ivory Coast on December 8 while travelling from d’Odienne Diocese in Ivory Coast after a priestly ordination. After all the Vatican and international procedures the body will arrive from Abidjan, capital of Ivory Coast here on Friday around 10am.
A special flight of the President of Ivory Coast Alassane Quattara will bring the body, accompanied by 11 high profile officials from Ivory Coast. The delegation will be led by SE Sign Charles Koffi Biby, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ivory Coast. The Nuncio of India Most Rev Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio arrived here on Thursday and will be the representative of the Pope Benedict XVI for the special mass to be held at Rosario Cathedral here on Friday.
The body of late Archbishop will arrive in a special and beautiful casket with zinc plating with a glass window through which the body could be viewed by the public, Most Rev Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore told reporters here on Thursday. The Pope and the secretary of State of Vatican Cardinal Tarcisio Bartone have sent condolence messages to family members of late Archbishop Ambrose Madtha and the Bishop will convey it to Madtha’s family.
Archbishop Madtha was born in Belthangady near Mangalore in 1955 to late Mary and Joseph Madtha. Archbishop Madtha, who did his MA (Economics) from Nagpur University, completed his BEd from Lucknow University. He studied Philosophy and Theology at St Charles Seminary, Nagpur and obtained doctorate in Canon law from Urban University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1982. He became the doyen of Ivorian diplomatic corps after arriving in 2008.
He tried to play a behind-the-scenes mediating role during Ivory Coast’s 2010-11 political crisis when the previous ruler Laurent Gbagborefused to step down even though Ouattara was declared winner of presidential elections. The Bishop said as per the Canon law, the body of the Archbishop will be buried inside the Holy Redeemer Church after the funeral service on Saturday. The public will be allowed to pay homage to the body here on Friday.