ASIA/TAIWAN - Catholics mourn passing of Spanish Jesuit missionary Fr Fernando Zallo who devoted his life to mission in Taiwan and other parts of Asia

Taipei (Fides Service) - “As we are gathered here for the funeral of Fr. Zallo we wish first of all to thank God for this missionary who dedicated his whole life to mission. He introduced us to Christ he distributed his Body and his Blood and now his mission is achieved” said Fr. Louis Gendron, Jesuit provincial Superior who presided the funeral Mass for Fr Fernando Zallo. There were over 40 concelebrants including Archbishop Cheng of Taipei, Mgr. Ambrose Madtha, Holy See Charge d’Affairs and numerous Jesuit confreres. Hundreds of Fr Zallo former pupils and spiritual sons and daughters remembered the missionary with deep emotion and accompanied Fr Zallo to his final resting place in the Ching Shan Jesuit cemetery at Chang Hua the area where he spent most of his life on mission.
Fr. Fernando Zallo, born in Spain in 1926 entered the local Jesuit minor seminary in 1944. He was ordained a priest on 18 March in 1957 at Baglio, in the Philippines. He made his perpetual vows in 1964 in the diocese of Hsin Chu,Taiwan. After teaching for a while in the Philippines in 1972 he returned to Tai Nan. He was headmaster at a number of secondary schools, he taught Spanish at Taiwan University and was editor of a magazine published by the Jesuit Chinese Province. (Agenzia Fides 7/03/2006 Righe: 22 Parole: 220)