Archbishop Alphonsus Mathias passes away; funeral on Monday

Bengaluru: The Archdiocese of Bangalore and the Church in India expressed grief over the demise of Archbishop Alphonsus Mathias, who passed away on Friday.

Born on June 22, 1928, Archbishop Mathias was ordained as a priest in 1954. In 1964, he was appointed as the first Bishop of Chikkamagaluru, a new diocese created by Pope Paul VI. He had the unique privilege of participating in the II Vatican Council, which brought remarkable changes to the life of the Catholic Church.

He served as the Chairman of St John’s Medical College and the Chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India from 1962 to 1989. He was then unanimously elected as the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India.

Archbishop Mathias was also a Board Member of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences in the field of Mass Media and Radio Veritas, Manila, Philippines.

Additionally, he represented Asia as a member of the Vatican Commission for Mass Media.

In 1986, he was appointed as the Archbishop of Bengaluru.

The funeral services will be held on Monday at 10.30 am at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Bengaluru.