Anthony Francis Sharma S.J. (December 12, 1937 – December 8, 2015) was a

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

ese

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

prelate and educator who became the first

Catholic 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 world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop of

. A member of the Society of Jesus, Sharma was appointed the prefect of Nepal in 1996 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He was ordained Nepal's first Catholic bishop in 2007. Sharma oversaw the growth of the modern

Catholic Church in Nepal The Catholic Church in Nepal is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. As of 2011 there are over 10,000 Catholics in Nepal, organized into one Catholic jurisdiction known as an apostolic vica ...

. He founded Caritas Nepal, a Catholic service organization, in 1990. He lobbied for official recognition of the Catholic faith by the government. In 1993, the Nepal Catholic Society won official recognition. Sharma also oversaw the establishment of 23 Catholic schools in the country. Born in

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

, Nepal, Sharma was ordained a Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

for the Society of Jesus in 1968. In 1984, Sharma was appointed superior and then prefect of Nepal in 1996. He was appointed titular bishop of ''Gigtha'' and vicar apostolic of Nepal in 2007.GCatholic.Org.-Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal
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1937 births 2015 deaths Jesuit bishops Nepalese Jesuits 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nepal Nepalese people of Indian descent People from Kathmandu Nepalese Roman Catholic bishops {{Asia-RC-bishop-stub