Obituary: Bishop Anthony passes away

Pride of the Christian community and revered educationist leaves hundreds mourning.

RAWALPINDI:

Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo, the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad diocese, passed away after prolonged illness Monday morning. He was 76.

His funeral prayers will be offered at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Lal Kurti, on Wednesday at 12:30pm. He will be laid to rest in the vicinity of the same church.

Anthony Lobo was born on July 4, 1937, in Karachi. He received his early education at Saint Patrick’s High School and his religious training at Christ the King seminary in Karachi, and was ordained a priest in Karachi on January 8, 1961.

He also held degrees from the University of Karachi, Harvard University and from a Paris institute. On June 8, 1982, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Karachi by Pope John Paul II. On May 28, 1993, he became Bishop of Islamabad–Rawalpindi.

On February 18, 2010, Bishop Lobo resigned from his position in Islamabad-Rawalpindi due to ill health and was succeeded by Bishop Rufin Anthony.

The bishop made important contributions to education in the country. He has served as principal at the St Lawrence’s Boys School, Karachi, and later at the Saint Patrick’s High School, Karachi. In November 1986, he founded St Michael’s Convent School. Amongst his students are some noted high achievers of Pakistan.

Being the author of many books on education, he was conferred the President’s “Pride of Performance” Award in 1990 for his contributions to education and literature.

Minister for National Harmony Paul Bhatti, while talking to The Express Tribune paid glowing tributes to the late bishop and hailed his services for the Christian community.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2013.