Antony Anandarayar, 76, Archbishop Emeritus of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday night.
Stephen Alathara, deputy general secretary of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), in a statement said he died while undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at St. Thomas Hospital, Chennai, on Tuesday.
“He was admitted in the hospital for COVID-19 treatment and his health condition deteriorated on Tuesday morning as the oxygen saturation level dipped. He passed away at 9. 30 p.m,” the statement said.
Apostolic Administrator, archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, Antonysamy Peter Abir in a statement said the funeral mass would be held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Hailing from Varadarajanpet in Tamil Nadu, Anandarayar was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Pondicherry-Cuddalore in 2004.
Pope Francis accepted his request for resignation from the active episcopal ministry in January 2021, the CCBI statement said.
