SW News: Bangladesh is mourning the death of an Italian Catholic priest who played a monumental role in uplifting tribals. Fr Giulio Berutti, a missionary with the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions (PIME), succumbed to COVID-19-related complications on Wednesday, August 11.

The 77-year-old missionary, who had been serving in Bangladesh for the past 50 years, established cooperative credit unions or microfinance institutions that offer loans with an annual interest rate of no more than 12 per cent. He set up credit unions in all parishes of Dinajpur Diocese where he was serving and they provided loans to the poor at half the interest rate of mainstream banks. They are even less than the rates of famous microfinance institution Grameen Bank established by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The priest’s bank of the poor helped the tribal communities educate children and nurture their entrepreneurship.

Born in Busto Arsizio in northern Italy, Fr Giulio was ordained on June 27, 1970. He arrived in Bangladesh shortly after its independence the following year. One of the longest-serving missionaries in the country, the priest is also the founder of the first Catholic nursing facility, St Vincent Nursing Institute. In addition, Fr Berutti also introduced health insurance.

He was laid to rest in Dinajpur Cathedral.