Nagpur Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangra dies

Archbishop of Nagpur Abraham Viruthakulangra died of a cardiac arrest early this morning, Archdiocese of Nagpur said in a statement here.

He was 74.

The Archbishop died in Delhi, where he had gone to meet the Hindi-speaking Bishops at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), the statement said.

Born in Kerala on June 5, 1943, he joined the seminary in Indore after his high school studies in 1960. He was ordained priest in October 1969 after his priestly studies at St Charles Seminary in Nagpur, it added.

After the ordination, he worked among the Gond tribals for eight years.

"He was just 34 years old and the youngest prelate in India when appointed as the bishop of the newly-created Diocese of Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 1977. He also became the 100th Indian Catholic Bishop since the establishment of the Indian Hierarchy in 1886," the statement said.

"During one of her visits to Khandwa, St Mother Teresa commended him for his profiency in language that helped him reached out to thousands and transform their lives," it said.

He was promoted as the metropolitan Archbishop of Nagpur on April 22, 1998.

The funeral ceremony is scheduled to be held in the city on April 23.