Ambrose Madtha (2 November 1955 – 8 December 2012) was the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and the

Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international or ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. He was the sixth Indian to become an

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

Early life

Most Holy Redeemer Church (Beltangady) Old

Ambrose Madtha was born in

Belthangady Belthangady is a town panchayat and the headquarters of Belthangady taluk of the Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) district of Karnataka state in India. Demographics In 2001 in the town of Belthangady, 11% of the population was under 6 years o ...

, on 2 November 1955 to Joseph Madtha and Mary Madtha. Joseph Madtha (circa 1917 - 28 January 2007), son of David Madtha and Angeline Madtha was a humble and religious man. He lived a decent life with his wife Mary Madtha near the

Most Holy Redeemer Church, Belthangady The Most Holy Redeemer Church is a historic Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the wo ...

. He did his schooling at

Church Higher Primary School, Belthangady Church Higher Primary School, Belthangady is a coeducational Kannada medium primary school and aided by state govt located in the locality of Belthangady, Karnataka, India, next to Most Holy Redeemer Church, Belthangady. Church Higher Primary ...

which was near his home.

Career

Madtha was ordained as a priest on 28 March 1982. He earned a Master of Arts in economics from

Nagpur University Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), formerly Nagpur University, is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is one of India's oldest universities, as well as th ...

, a Bachelor of Education degree from

Lucknow University The University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1920, the University of Lucknow is one of the oldest government owned institutions of higher edu ...

, and a doctorate in canon law from the

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

. He entered diplomatic service in June 1990 and served apostolic nunciatures in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(Taiwan). Madtha was ordained archbishop on 27 July 2008, two months after his appointment. Around 4,000 people attended the ceremony at St Joseph's Cathedral,

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, capital of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

state, 500 kilometers southeast of New Delhi. They included a 12-member delegation from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, where Madtha was previously posted as

Chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

at the Taipei-based Apostolic Nunciature in China. On 8 May 2008 Madtha was named

to the Côte d'Ivoire. On 27 July 2008 he was ordained bishop by

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Jean-Louis Tauran Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran (; 5 April 1943 – 5 July 2018) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. When he died, he had been the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue since 2007 and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman ...

, president of the

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, previously named Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Paul VI on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and renamed by Pope ...

with Archbishop Albert D'Souza of Agra and Bishop Gerald J. Mathias of Lucknow as co-ordainers. More than 15 bishops from India and abroad joined the ceremony along with 300 priests and 600 nuns. On this occasion the new archbishop Madtha thanked people in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, English, French and Chinese. Madtha also speaks

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

, German, Italian,

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, Konkani, Russian and Spanish. Madtha tried to play a behind-the-scenes mediating role during

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

’s 2010-11 political crisis when the previous ruler,

Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Madtha was committed to finding a peaceful solution to the post-election crisis that out-going President,

Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)French troops The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

, the Presidential Residence where

Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Nunciature, located at 200–330 meters from the palace, where

Fides Fides or FIDES may refer to: *Faith, trust, loyalty, or fidelity, or a religious belief * Fides (cycling team), an Italian professional cycling team in 1961 *Fides (deity), goddess of trust in Roman mythology * Fides (reliability), guide allowing ...

had contacted him. Côte d'Ivoire had not yet recovered from the political confrontation between the two factions. One of the areas most affected by latent insecurity for the presence of armed groups was precisely the west where Madtha died. He was to celebrate a Mass in

Duékoué Duékoué () is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Duékoué Department. It is also the seat of Guémon Region in Montagnes District and a commune. In the 2021 census, the population of the sub-prefecture ...

, a town on the border with

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, where during the crisis of 2010-2011 more than 3,000 civilians were massacred. In July 2012 several people were killed in the assault of a refugee camp in Nahibly, at the entrance of

. The Ivorian press mentioned that Madtha made a personal commitment on several occasions to come to the aid of refugees welcomed in a Catholic parish and other structures in the area.

Death and funeral

Madtha died on 8 December 2012 in a car accident in the west of the Ivory Coast. The car carrying Madtha was involved in an accident on the

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...

Biankouma Biankouma is a town in western Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and seat of Biankouma Department in Tonkpi Region, Montagnes District. Biankouma is also a commune. The town is divided into old and new towns, the old town buildings being ...

road. He was returning to Man, where he spent the night, from the village of

Odienné Odienné () is a town in the northwestern part of Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Denguélé District and Kabadougou Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Odienné Department. The town of Odienné was founded b ...

, where he presided over a Mass. The driver was also killed in the accident while the secretary and a religious woman were slightly wounded. His body arrived on 9 December in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

. Madtha's family and the parish priest of

parish, where Madtha belonged, sent an official request to the

Apostolic Nunciature to India The Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to India is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to India, similar to an embassy. It is located at 50-C, Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was named Apostolic Nuncio by Pope ...

about their interest to perform the final rites at

, which was granted. The body was brought to

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

by a special flight from Ivory Coast on 15 December 2012. A requiem Mass was offered at Rosario Cathedral that evening. On 15 December Madtha's remains were buried next to the altar with nearly 3,500 people in attendance. The funeral Mass was led by the

Apostolic Nuncio to India The Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to India is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to India, similar to an embassy. It is located at 50-C, Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was named Apostolic Nuncio by Pope ...

Salvatore Pennacchio Salvatore Pennacchio (born 7 September 1952 in Marano, Italy) is a Catholic archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See, currently president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Biography He received his priestly ordination on 18 September ...

with bishop of

Aloysius Paul D'Souza Aloysius Paul D'Souza ( knn, अलोय्सिउस पौल डी सोझा (Devanagari), ಎಲೋಷಿಯಸ್ ಪಾವ್ಲ್ ಡಿ'ಸೋಜಾ (Kannada); born 21 June 1941) is the former Bishop of the Roman Catholic Dioce ...

as the concelebrant. Auxiliary bishop of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Franco Mulakkal read a message from

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. Ivory Coast minister of social affairs Anne Desiree Oulopo, president of

Episcopal Conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

Alexis Touabli Youlo and Archbishop of Abidjan Dr.

Jean-Pierre Kutwa Jean-Pierre Kutwa (born 22 December 1945) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast since May 2006. On 12 January 2014, Pope Franc ...

attended, as did several bishops.

Oscar Fernandes Dr. Oscar Fernandes (27 March 1941 – 13 September 2021) was an Indian politician, a senior Indian National Congress leader and was the Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways and Labour and Employment, Government of India in ...

and his wife Blossom, MLA Vasanth Bangera and others paid their respects as well.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Ambrose Madtha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madtha, Ambrose 1955 births 21st-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops Catholic Church in Ivory Coast Christian humanists 2012 deaths Apostolic Nuncios to Ivory Coast Indian Roman Catholic archbishops Road incident deaths in Ivory Coast