Catholic Church in Malaysia
Headquarters | Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |
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Origin | 1511 Malacca, Malacca Sultanate |
Branched from | Catholic Church in Portugal |
Members | 1,292,000 (2021)[1] |
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Overview |
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The Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The apostolic nuncio to Malaysia is currently Archbishop Wojciech Załuski, who was appointed on 22 September 2020;[2] The resident ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See is Westmoreland Anak Edward Palon.[3]
The first Catholic priests landed in Malacca in 1511 as military chaplains to the Portuguese. The missionaries were Franciscan and Dominican friars. Malacca subsequently became a stop-over for thousands of missionaries who spread the faith to South and Far East Asia. Until today, small Christian communities can be found in these places as a result of missionary zest. Malacca holds a special place in the history of the Church in this region.
First wave of evangelisation
From the 7th to the 14th century, numerous small kingdoms which were strongly
The year 1511 marked the arrival of the Portuguese, led by Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque, and the first Catholic chaplains. The Portuguese captured Malacca for its well-known spice trade. Between 1545 and 1552, St Francis Xavier preached in Malacca. By 1557, Malacca was raised to a suffragan see (deputy diocese). In 1641, the occupation of Malacca by the Dutch began and the authorities in power suppressed Catholicism. The bishops and priests fled to Timor.
Second wave of evangelisation
In 1786, Sir
Meanwhile, in Sarawak, the Mill Hill Missionaries was invited by the White Rajahs in the hope that it would be a stabilizing influence to the native Iban people.
Second World War and the Emergency (1940–1975)
During the years 1942–1945 of the
The consolidation of the Catholic faith (1977–2001)
Parallel to the economical and industrial development of the nation, the Catholic Church in Malaysia grew considerably during these years, emphasising on inter-religious dialogue, oecumenism and
In 1977, the first Catholic
In 1995, churches in Sarawak requested the state to allow other faith education in schools besides Islam. In 1996, PMPA II gathered reviews and reaffirmed Aggiornamento 1976 and PMPC 1986. There was a renewed call for systematic and strategic planning and implementation. In 1998, the Deputy Prime Minister was arrested and the
Holy See relations
- See: Holy See – Malaysia relations.
Diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Holy See were initiated by
The first resident ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See,
Westmoreland Edward Palon, who was named by Wisma Putra as Malaysia's second ambassador to the Vatican on 21 March, is a Bidayuh who hails from Kampung Duras, Kuching.[8]
The Apostolic Nunciature in Malaysia was established on the 27 July 2011 through an official act of the Holy See Acta Apostolicae Sedis.[9] The current nuncio is Archbishop Wojciech Zaluski.[10]
21st century
As of 2020, half of Malaysian Christians were
The country is divided into nine dioceses including three archdioceses:
- Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
- Diocese of Malacca Johore
- Diocese of Penang
- Archdiocese of Kuching
- Diocese of Miri
- Diocese of Sibu
- Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu
- Diocese of Keningau
- Diocese of Sandakan
Catholic publications
The Catholic Church in Malaysia has its own weekly newspaper,
Notable people
- Sebastian Francis – Malaysia's second Roman Catholic cardinal, elevated on 30 September 2023.
- Anthony Soter Fernandez †- Malaysia's first Roman Catholic cardinal, elevated on 19 November 2016.[12]
- Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Bernard Giluk Dompok – the first Ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See (Vatican City).
- Charles Santiago - National Water Services Commission (SPAN) Chairman, politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Klang.
- Dato' Hans Isaac – Actor, producer, director and former model.[13]
- Kasthuriraani Patto – politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Kawan.[14]
- Dato Pandelela Rinong Pamg – national diver and a two-time Olympic medalist.[15]
- Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Richard Malanjum – the 9th Chief Justice of Malaysia.[16]
- Minister for Primary Industry.[17]
- Dato Westmoreland Edward Palon – the second Ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See (Vatican City).[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Catholic Church in Malaysia". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Archbishop Wojciech Załuski". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ Reporters, F. M. T. (11 June 2019). "New ambassador meets pope in Rome, sporting baju Melayu". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Part 6: The Borneo Mission – Mill Hill Missionaries". www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "The rich history of the Church in Malaysia, Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur". Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "Najib: Malaysia to establish diplomatic ties with The Vatican". The Star. 18 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Msian envoy to Vatican accepts termination". The Star. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Ahmad, Razak. "Malaysia's new Vatican ambassador Westmoreland presents Pope with Sarawak tapestry – Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. CIII. 2011. pp. 513–4. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Jan 21: Communique".
- ^ World Religion Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ Victoria Brown (21 November 2016). "Najib: Malaysia's first Roman Catholic cardinal appointment is a true honour". The Star. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Hans Isaac: Jangan pandai-pandai dakwa saya masuk Islam". ProjekMM. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto marries French boyfriend". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Brian Martin (29 July 2016). "Diving to do her country proud". The Star. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Catholic becomes Malaysia's top judge". ucanews.com. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Let Teresa have her religious rights, say Christian leaders". The Star. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Bidayuh from Siburan receives Knight Grand Cross of The Order of Pope Pius IX". Herald Malaysia. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
External links
- Website of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysian Catholic Christians Facebook group
- Malaysia Herald Catholic Newspaper
- Catholic Hierarchy for Malaysia
Further reading
- Khabar Gembira: History of the Catholic Church in East Malaysia and Brunei, 1880–1976 by John Rooney
- The Journey of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, 1511–1996 by Maureen K. C Chew
- The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Melanesia and Micronesia, 1850–1875 (Princeton Theological Monograph) by Ralph M. Wiltgen
- "The Roman Catholic Church" in Robert Hunt, Lee Kam Hing and John Roxborogh, Christianity in Malaysia: A Denominational History, Pelanduk, 1992, 1–33