State funeral for German nun Ruth Pfau who devoted her life fighting leprosy in Pakistan
Ruth Pfauu, who died at the age of 87 on August 10 spent half a century taking care of some of the country’s sickest and poorest people
Ruth Pfau, a German nun who devoted her life to combating leprosy in Pakistan, was buried with full state honours on Saturday, in an unprecedented service for a foreign Christian in the Muslim-majority country.
Pfau, who died at the age of 87 on August 10 was known locally as Pakistan’s Mother Teresa. She came to the southern port city of Karachi in 1960 and spent half a century taking care of some of the country’s sickest and poorest people.
She was the founder of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi, where she was being cared for at the time of her death after a short illness.
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain attended the state funeral service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the city, where hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects.
The casket, draped in the national flag, was carried by army personnel and Marie Adelaide staff and given a 19-gun salute.
“The entire Pakistani nation pays homage to Dr Pfau’s extraordinary work. She will always be fondly remembered. We have lost a national hero,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria Saturday said in a statement.