His body is lying in state in the church of Castelletto di Abbiategrasso to allow the faithfull a last farewell. Aware of his situation until the end, he received the Anointing of the Sick a week ago. One of his last acts was to bless two PIME missionaries leaving for Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau.

Rome (AsiaNews) - The funeral of Fr Giancarlo Bossi will be held tomorrow at 3 pm at the parish church in Castelletto di Abbiategrasso, Milan (Italy), the clergyman's hometown. A long-time missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), he passed away yesterday.

He became well known in Italy and around the world after he was abducted by Muslim militiamen and held for 40 days in Mindanao (Philippines), where he worked as a missionary.

Fr Livio Maggi, PIME vicar general, and Mgr Mario Delpini, vicar general for the Diocese of Milan, are expected to attend the ceremony.

Fr Giancarlo's body will lie in state at the church in Castelletto where he was first ordained as a priest in 1978. A Memorial Mass will be held tonight at 6 pm with the coffin closed at 9 pm.

Fr Bossi had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. Since then, he had undergone more than one operation. More recently, his health had taken a turn for the worse.

Fr Giancarlo Politi, who had been a friend for more than 30 years and was by his side in last painful days, said that Fr Bossi "was always quite aware of his situation, which he faced with a strong faith."

A week ago, Fr Politi performed the anointing of the sick and prayed for him. By then, he had apparently already lost consciousness. However, "Two days before he died, he thanked me for what I did," Fr Politi said. "He was conscious but had listened in silence to the rite of the unction."

One of Fr Bossi's last actions was to bless two PIME fathers  before they left for their respective missions in Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau.

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• philippines
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• bossi
• death
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• abduction
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