Cardinal Sebastian emphasizes pluralism for progress

Jun 17, 2024

PENANG: Malaysia presents a microcosm of the Catholic Church and Asia where diversity of cultures and religions offer Catholics and people of faiths opportunities and challenges of pluralistic society for progress together, said Cardinal Sebastian Francis.

"It is the pluralism of cultures and ethnic groups that makes Malaysia a 'miniature Asia.' The coexistence of different components allows the Catholic community to experience the interaction of differences that takes place in diversity," said Cardinal Sebastian.

The cultural and religious diversity in Malaysia is “reasonably healthy” although ethnic Malays and Islam are considered “national” and Muslim Malays are considered "special" due to constitutional status and protection as Bhumiputera (Sons of the Soil), the top Catholic leader said.

"The Malays are protected and are only Muslims, as enshrined in the Constitution. But a democratic nation like ours cannot today choose to be completely monocultural or monoreligious. Our country is characterized by an interesting pluralism that makes it a truly Asian country, a microcosm in which one can experience the constituent dimension of Asia," Cardinal Sebastian said.

Ethnic Malays make up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s estimated 34 million people, according to official statistics. About 24 percent are Chinese, 7 percent are Indians and 10 percent are indigenous non-Malay communities most based on the Malaysian side of Borneo Island.

About 10 percent of Malaysians are Christians, mostly based in Sarawak and Sabah states in Borneo.

The ethnic and religious diversity of Malaysia offers both opportunities and challenges for development towards a truly pluralistic society, the Cardinal Sebastian said.

The path of “synodality” and “dialogue” are keys to overcoming differences and the formation of a society based on the richness of diversity, he pointed out.

He noted that despite ethnic and cultural differences within Catholic communities in Malaysia, the Church has been keen on serving all people.

In various parts of the country, the Church holds liturgy in four official languages – Bahasa Malay, English, Chinese, and Indian Tamil, he said.

"Although we are not such a big country, we have many immigrants who come from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Some of them also bring Christian traditions with them, of course [like some Vietnamese or Filipinos],” he added.

Despite Catholics being a minority, the Church has the necessary resources for pastoral life, he said.

A lack of priestly and religious vocations is filled by missionary religious orders mainly from France, Ireland, and Italy.

Since the Second Vatican Council, the local Church has emphasized faith formation and empowerment of laity, Cardinal Sebastian said.

“We care about the Christian life of the laity and after the Second Vatican Council we have emphasized the formation of the laity, especially through training courses or continuing education events in the parishes,” he said

The Cardinal Sebastian, however, lamented that political change in the country has had negative impacts on the Church’s mission.

"Our influence in the field of education has decreased enormously because the government has taken control of education in public schools, both state and private,” he said.

“If we want to be present in the field of education, we must act as private actors, but the government also controls private education, decides on the curricula and pays teachers their salaries. So, we own the real estate and the land on which the schools are built, but it is the government that controls school life. So, technically we own the building but not the system. We contribute, but we cannot give concrete shape to the education system," he said.

For this, the Church has shifted its focus on its “social mission.”

“We have shifted our resources and energies, for example, to the area of integral human development: we work mainly with migrants and refugees or in situations of poverty and need, often in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, for social development," he added.--ucanews.com