By Matters India Reporter

Bengaluru, Sept 2, 2020: An eventful era in the Bangalore Archdiocese’s history has come to an end with the passing away of Father Ignatius Anthappa, a Kannada scholar and historian.

Father Anthappa, who led the Kannada faction in the archdiocese, died on August 31 at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, because of old age ailments. He would have turned 91 on September 12, says a press note issued by the archdiocese.

His funeral Mass took place at 3 pm on September 1 at Our Lady of Rosary Church, Harobale, some 80 km south of Bengaluru. While Bishop T Anthony Swamy of Chikmagalur presided over the Mass, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore led the burial rites at his ancestral fields in Harobale. The Curia officials, the parish priest, Father Anthappa’s family members, attended the services.

Father Anthappa lived at Clergy Home, near the Bangalore Archbishop’s House, after his retirement in 2007.

Father Anthappa’s death has brought “profound” grief to the entire archdiocese, says a condolence message from Archbishop Machado. “His death has caused a great loss, not only to the archdiocese but to the Church in Karnataka. His contributions, especially to the promotion of Bible and Evangelization Apostolates will go down in history,” the archbishop said.

The prelate acknowledged that Father Anthappa had served the Archdiocese in various capacities.

He was a scholar who wrote and simplified the Kannada Bible that now helps even lay persons understand easily. He received state awards and many more accolades during his life time for his literary contribution.

Father Anthappa was born on September 12, 1929, at Harobale, as the second of the nine children of C Innasappa and Anthonamma. He is now survived by five siblings.

After completing high school studies, he joined St Mary’s Minor Seminary, Bangalore. He was ordained a priest on April 6, 1957, at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Bangalore, by the Late Archbishop Thomas Pothacamury.

A few months after ordination, he was sent to Gregorian University, Rome, to do doctorate in Sacred Theology

After returning to India, he obtained Master’s degree from Dharwad University and completed Bachelor of Education.

He was a historian who wrote at least 25 scholarly books especially on the origin of Christianity in Anekal (out skirts of city); Establishment and growth of Church in Bangalore; the History of Catholic Church in Karnataka among others.

His book “Origin of Christianity in and around Srirangapattanam,” in Kannada was critically acclaimed. Research scholars use his books as resource materials for their doctoral studies.

He was an active member of Karnataka Sahitya Parishad. His talks were well-appreciated.

Recognizing his contributions to Kannada literature, the Karnataka government in 2001 honored him with the prestigious Rajyotsva Award which he dedicated to all missionaries and Christian scholars who worked for the growth of Kannada literature.

Monsignor S Jayanathan, vicar general of the archdiocese who worked with Father Anthappa in the regional translation committee, hailed his senior priest as “a great scholar, historian and visionary who was very humble and unassuming. His death is a great loss to the entire state of Karnataka and also to India.”

However, a dark spot on Father Anthappa’s life occurred when he was named one of the 12 accused in the murder of Father K.J. Thomas, rector of St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary. The rector’s body was found inside the seminary on April 1, 2013.

The Karnataka High Court on Feb. 3, 2016, granted him bail considering his age and health. The court had directed him furnish a bail bond of 200,000 rupees.

The rector’s murder was linked to a simmering language-based ethnic rivalry in Bangalore Archdiocese, in which local Kannada-speaking Catholics fight for supremacy in the affairs of the Church.

Father Anthappa, who led the Kannada faction, used to say that the Church´s growth was stymied in Karnataka because of the lack local leaders. He also noted that Kannadiga Christians form only 1 percent of the state´s 45 million people.

Some 70 percent of the archdiocese´s more than 400,000 Catholics are Tamil migrants from neighboring Tamil Nadu state, while native Kannada speakers account for 20 percent. The remaining 10 percent represent other language groups.

The controversy had turned violent several times, especially at Christmas and Easter services. In 1990 a priest was attacked with an acid bomb.