Catholic Church offers prayers for Jyoti Basu

The Catholic Church offered special prayers to pay homage to Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu.

"Special prayers during worship will be offered for the repose of the soul of Basu, whose death is a major loss for the country," said Auxiliary Bishop of Delhi archdiocese, Franco Mulakkal. "He will continue to inspire all who would like to aspire to be in politics to live for the good of the others."

He added: "His love and concern for the poor as well as his call for justice and equality to all and sundry, which is also what the Church believes in and promotes, find a proper resonance with the teachings of the Bible."

On Monday, St Xavier's, where Jyoti Basu had studied, paid tributes with a multi-religion prayer meeting as part of the 150 years Jubilee celebrations of the institute.

Rector George Ponodath recalled: "in 1921, just after World War-I had ended, a seven-year-old boy walked into the school with his father and was admitted to Class II. The boy's name was Jyoti Basu."

"Jyoti Basu walked through the corridors of the institution for the next eight years. He knew this institution inside out. He became a leader who stood head and shoulders above the rest," PTI quoted Ponodath saying.

Basu, who remained West Bengal's Chief Minister for 24 long years and almost became the prime minister in 1996, died on Sunday, Jan. 17, after a prolonged illness. He was 95.

President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and BJP leader LK Advani were among those who expressed their shock and sadness at Basu's demise.