'Msgr. Moses Costa was my guru '(Photos and Videos)

The funeral celebrated today at the church of Tejgaon (Dhaka), presided over by Msgr. Paul Ponen Kubi. The messages of Card. Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, and of Msgr. D’Souza, Archbishop of Kolkata. Abp. Costa was the architect of the meeting between Pope Francis and the Rohingya refugees in December 2017.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - "Msgr. Moses Costa was my guru ": so says the bishop of Mymensingh, Msgr. Paul Ponen Kubi summarized his connection with the Archbishop who died this morning. Bishop Kubi held a funeral mass for the metropolitan of Chittagong, who died of complications from coronavirus. The mass, celebrated in the parish of Taejgaon (Dhaka), was attended by bishops, priests and a hundred faithful.

Msgr. Kubi added “I learned many things from him. He was sincere towards his faithful and was always close to his people in times of persecution. " Bishop Kubi refers to the various experiences suffered by the faithful, mostly tribal, whose lands are forcibly expropriated often without them ever obtaining justice.

"His death - concluded the bishop - is a great loss for the Catholic Church of Bangladesh".

Meanwhile, messages are coming from different parts of Asia. Card. Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, wrote that "our subcontinent loses an indefatigable missionary who has loved his people and worked hard".

The Cardinal of Mumbai first of all recalls his commitment as "formator of the seminarians", and then as "organizer of the Holy Father's visit to Dhaka" and above all underlines the care with which Msgr. Costa prepared the meeting between the Pope and Rohingya refugees."

"Through Caritas Bangladesh - writes Card. Gracias - Msgr. Moses played a very important role in the assistance work among the Rohingya. He was important in helping them meet the Holy Father. This meeting left a deep impression on me and the world."

"I knew him very well - Archbishop of Kolkata, Msgr. Thomas D’Souza told AsiaNews -  I met him in Dhaka, when the Holy Father arrived, and I met him last year, in February 2019, when he came here for the World Day of the Sick ".

"He was a very humble, friendly and sweet person ... I am truly saddened because we have lost a good pastor and a good friend, and the archdiocese of Chittagong has lost his pastor." (S.C.)

(Nirmala Carvalho contributed)

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