Quick Facts
Biography
Paulinus Costa (19 October 1936 – 3 January 2015) was Roman Catholic Archbishop of the archdiocese of Dhaka from 2005 until his retirement on October 22, 2011.
Career
Costa was born in Gazipur, Bangladesh. He was ordained as a priest on 21 December 1963. He was appointed the Bishop of Rajshahi on 11 January 1996, and was ordained on 26 April of the same year.
On 9 July 2005 he was appointed the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dhaka by Pope Benedict XVI, replacing the deceased Archbishop Michael Rosario.
In his official capacity, Costa worked to foster communal harmony in the Muslim-dominated country of Bangladesh. In recognition of his services, Costa was one of eight to receive an award from the Human Rights Legal Aid Society of Bangladesh for "significant contributions in defending human rights in Bangladesh".
Archbishop Costa retired on October 22, 2011, and was succeeded by former coadjutor of the position Patrick D'Rozario.
Personal life
Costa studied Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, Italy, and obtained a Ph.D. in theology in 1981. As a requirement of the Catholic Church, he remained unmarried.
Death
He died at 3.30 pm on January 3, 2015 in Dhaka of a heart attack.