Anthony Francis Sharma

Anthony Francis Sharma, S.J. (December 12, 1937 – December 8, 2015) was a Nepalese Jesuit prelate and educator who became the first Catholic bishop of Nepal. A member of the Society of Jesus, Sharma was appointed the prefect of Nepal in 1996 by Pope John Paul II.^[1] He was ordained Nepal's first Catholic bishop in 2007.^[1][2]

Biography

Born in Gorkha, Nepal, Sharma was ordained a Catholic priest 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.^[3]

Sharma oversaw the growth of the modern Catholic Church in Nepal. 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.^[1]

References

1. "Nepal's first bishop, a 'great educator' who taught two kings, dies aged 77 dies". The Catholic Herald. 2015-12-10. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
2. "Nepals's first bishop dies". Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
3. GCatholic.Org.-Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal

External links

Catholic Church titles
New title	Ecclesiastical Superior of Nepal 1984–1996	Succeeded by himself as Prefect Apostolic
Preceded by himself as Ecclesiastical Superior	Prefect Apostolic of Nepal 1996–2007	Succeeded by himself as Vicar Apostolic
Preceded by himself as Prefect Apostolic	Vicar Apostolic of Nepal 2007–2014	Succeeded by Paul Simick