By Matters India Reporter

Dhaka, July 12, 2020: Archbishop Moses Costa of Chittagong in Bangladesh, who had recently recovered from Covid-19, died July 13 morning because of multiple strokes caused by a brain hemorrhage.

“With great sadness and loss, I announced to you and to everyone concerned that (Archbishop Moses Costa) has expired today,” says a condolence message from Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh.

Archbishop Costa died at 9:20 am while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka.

On July 9, he suffered a major brain stroke and was put on life support two days later.

The archbishop’s body will be taken to Tejgaon Church from Square Hospital.

On June 15, Archbishop Costa was diagnosed to have been infected with the new coronavirus.

On June 24, he reportedly recovered from the disease as tests showed him Covid-19 negative.

The 70-year-old archbishop is secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh and chairman of the conference’s Healthcare Commission.

Before serving as archbishop of Chittagong, he served as the bishop of Chittagong and Dinajpur since 1996.

Chittagong was among the first of the eight Catholic dioceses in Bangladesh to issue Covid-19 health guidelines and closed all churches for public liturgy.

Bangladesh lifted the shutdown on May 31 and, since then, all dioceses except Chittagong have opened churches for public liturgy, including Masses.

Archbishop Costa was born on Nov. 17, 1950, in Toomilia, a parish in the Dhaka archdiocese. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest on February 5, 1981, and appointed the bishop of Dinajpur on July 20, 1996.

He took over as the Dinajpur bishop on September 6, 1996. On April 6, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the bishop of Chittagong.

Pope Francis on February 2, 2017 elevated him as Chittagong’s first archbishop.

Previously, on June 13, Moses was admitted to Square Hospital with severe respiratory problems and the following day he was diagnosed with Covid-19. He recovered from the viral disease.