Former Bishop of Multan Andrew Francis dies aged 71

Members of the civil society expressed grief on the death of Dr Francis and termed him a symbol of inter-faith unity

MULTAN: Former Bishop of Multan Dr Andrew Francis, who was known as a tireless worker for poor and marginalised communities, died at the age of 71. He was suffering from lung and kidney infection and passed away in a Lahore hospital.  After a car accident three years ago, the bishop had been confined to a wheelchair.

His funeral mass took place in the Cathedral of Multan. Priests and people from all walks of life attended the funeral.

Dr Andrew Francis was a Pakistani Roman Catholic bishop. He was born in Adah, Pakistan, on November 29, 1946. He received religious training at the Christ, the King seminary in Karachi. On January 10, 1972, he was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. He also served as the rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore in 1986 and later Parish Priest of St. Anthony's Church, Lahore, until his ordination as bishop. As a parish priest in Lahore, he survived an assassination attempt in 1996.



On December 3, 1999, he was appointed Bishop of Multan. Bishop Francis was the chairperson of the National Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue and Ecumenism, National Commission of Sacred Liturgy and National Commission of Catholic Urdu Literature.

He was a member of Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue - Rome, International Commission for English in the Liturgy, USA and the Minority Committee of the Government of Pakistan.

Members of the civil society expressed grief and sorrow on the death of Dr Francis and termed him a symbol of inter-faith unity.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2017.