India News | Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo Laid to Rest with Full State Honours in Ranchi
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. India's first tribal cardinal Telesphore P Toppo was laid to rest with full state honours at the 113-year-old St Mary's Cathedral here on Wednesday.
Ranchi, Oct 11 (PTI) India's first tribal cardinal Telesphore P Toppo was laid to rest with full state honours at the 113-year-old St Mary's Cathedral here on Wednesday.
Toppo, the first tribal cardinal who voted in the election for selecting two popes, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, was laid to rest near the feet of Mother Teresa statue at the cathedral.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister Hemant Soren laid floral wreaths on the mortal remains of the cardinal.
"Rest in peace Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo Ji. Final adieu was given to the Cardinal with full state honours. I pay respect to his soul," Chief Minister Hemant Soren wrote on 'X'.
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Governor Radhakrishnan said any death is painful but the cardinal's passing away is more painful because he worked for society.
The cardinal dedicated his whole life for service of the downtrodden and tribal people.
"Today he is no more with us, but the legacy that he left will be a guiding force for us for years to come," the governor said.
People from all walks of life paid their last respects to Cardinal Toppo.
The funeral mass, held at the Loyala Grounds at 1pm, was attended by over 30 bishops, 400 priests and thousands of sisters.
His mortal remains were brought to Ranchi from Mandar on Tuesday to allow people to pay their last respects.
Cardinal Toppo died at a hospital at Mandar on October 4 after a prolonged illness. He was 84.
Born at Jhargaon, a small remote village in Gumla district of Jharkhand, he was the Archbishop of Ranchi for 35 years (1985-2018) and the Bishop of Dumka for six years (1978-1984).
According to the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), "He was a priest for 54 years, a bishop for 44 years and a cardinal for 19 years."
"Pope St. John Paul II honoured the thriving and blossoming Adivasi Church of Jharkhand by raising Archbishop Telesphore Toppo to the College of Cardinals on October 21, 2003. He was the first and only Asian tribal to have been accorded such a distinguished ecclesiastical office. He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis," the CCBI said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)