Possible Jesuit initiative in Afghanistan set back by death of priest

Published: 2004-02-10

NEW DELHI, India (CNS) -- A possible initiative for the Jesuits in Afghanistan has been set back by the death of a priest who was spearheading the project, a Jesuit provincial said. Indian Jesuit Father Aloysius Fonseca, who was exploring possibilities for the Jesuits to work in Afghanistan, died Feb. 8 in Kabul, apparently in his sleep, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Father Fonseca, 70, went to Kabul in August as part of a four-member Indian Jesuit team to study the possibility of the order establishing an educational apostolate in the Muslim nation. Other members of the team later returned to India, but Father Fonseca stayed to study local languages and continue exploring possibilities for the congregation. Father Lisbert D'Souza, New Delhi-based Jesuit provincial for South Asia, said Father Fonseca's death is a setback for the Jesuit project in Afghanistan. But when asked if the Jesuits would give up their plans to work there, he replied, "Certainly not."

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .