By Spy Correspondent
Dhaka: The Catholic Church of Bangladesh is mourning the loss of an archbishop who died just weeks after recovering from COVID-19. Archbishop Moses Costa of Chittagong, in south-east Bangladesh, died on Monday in a hospital in the capital Dhaka, after suffering a series of strokes at 69 years old.
He became the senior-most clergyman of the Catholic Church of Bangladesh to die during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Holy Cross archbishop was flown by helicopter in critical condition and admitted to the ICU of Square Hospital in Dhaka on June 13. Suffering from severe respiratory distress he was tested positive with coronavirus the following day.
His condition improved significantly and he tested negative for the virus on June 22. He continued to remain in hospital for further treatment.
However, his condition took a drastic turn on July 8 and he was transferred to the ICU again. According to the medical board, he suffered multiple strokes caused by a brain haemorrhage on July 9 and passed away Monday morning
He will be buried in Chittagong on Tuesday evening, Chittagong Archdiocesan officials said.
An irrecoverable loss
The archdiocesan website announced his death saying his passing away has left “all the faithful in a state of tremendous shock”.
“Chittagong Archdiocese is now without a shepherd! The whole Christian community of Bangladesh especially the faithful of Chittagong Diocese is under deep sorrow and pain.”
“His death is a great loss for the Christian community as well as the whole of Bangladesh. His death is an irrecoverable loss for all of us,” the archdiocesan community said.
Manik Willver D’Costa, the pastoral coordinator of Chittagong, commended his archbishop’s “extraordinary efforts in laying a strong socio-economic foundation for the Church and revolutionizing the systematic reorganization of Church apparatus”. In this, Archbishop Costa encouraged a spiritual awakening and missionary zeal in the clergy, the religious and the laity.
