Funeral of Archbishop Madtha on Saturday

The funeral of Archbishop Ambrose Madtha will be held on Saturday at the Holy Redeemer Church in Beltangady, Karnataka.

Archbishop Madtha, who died on Dec. 8 in a car accident on his way to an ordination, was the Pope's ambassador to Ivory Coast.

The body of the late archbishop will arrive in Mangalore on Friday in a special flight of the Ivory Coast President Alassane Quattara.

According to Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza of Mangalore, Madtha's body will be accompanied by a delegation of 11 high-profile officials of the Republic of the Ivory Coast and it will be led by its Foreign Affairs Minister S E Sign Charles Koffi Biby.

A special Mass will be held for the repose of the soul of the late archbishop at the Rosario Cathedral at 4 pm on Friday.

The 57-year-old Madtha hails from Belthangady near Mangalore. He had served as the papal representative to Ivory Coast since 2008. The prelate had earlier served apostolic nunciatures in Ghana, EI Salvador, Georgia, Albania and Republic of China (Taiwan).

On Thursday, December 13, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, the Apostolic Nuncio in India arrived in Mangalore carrying the Pope's condolence message. He was received by Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza, Fr Denis Prabhu, Fr William Menezes and others.

The Pope's condolence message described Archbishop Madtha as "faithful servant, a zealous priest and an able diplomat".

Pope Benedict's message also expressed his condolences to the Archbishop's family, whose strong faith, he said undoubtedly contributed to the dedication with which Archbishop Madtha served the Church.

The Pope also expressed his condolences to the Indian diocese of Lucknow , where he was ordained a priest in 1982; as well as to the representatives of the Apostolic Nunciature of Ivory Coast.

In his message, the Pope expressed his gratitude for the competence with which Archbishop Madtha worked for peace, unity and welfare of the African country.