Ruth Pfau dies; German nun dubbed ‘Pakistan’s Mother Teresa’ was 87
German nun Ruth Pfau, seen above in November 2012, was known for her work with those in Pakistan afflicted with leprosy. Credit: AFP/Getty Images / JOHN MACDOUGALL
KARACHI, Pakistan — Ruth Pfau, a German physician and nun who devoted her life to the eradication of leprosy in Pakistan, has died at age 87.
In a statement, the office of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced a state funeral for Pfau, known as “Pakistan’s Mother Teresa.”
Salwa Zainab, a spokeswoman at Pfau’s office, said Friday a funeral service will be held Aug. 19 in Karachi, where Pfau died on Thursday.
She said leprosy remained a problem in Pakistan from the 1950s until about 1996 and that Pfau played a key role in efforts by Pakistan and the World Health Organization to bring the disease under control.
Zainab said Pfau was a “beacon of hope for underprivileged” people.
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