Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia

The Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual guidance of the Pope in Rome. It is a small diaspora community with an old tradition.

overview

Their origins can be found in the colonization period of the early 16th century . The first Catholic priests landed in Malacca in 1511 as Portuguese military chaplains. In 1558 the diocese of Malacca was founded.

In Malaysia, Islam is the state religion , but freedom of religion is anchored in the constitution. The Catholics make up around ten percent of the population. The German-speaking Catholic Congregation Good Shepherd in Kuala Lumpur offers German-speaking church services.

After a meeting between Prime Minister Najib Razak and Pope Benedict XVI. in Rome there are diplomatic relations with the Holy See .

A joint bishops' conference was set up for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino was Apostolic Nuncio in Malaysia and East Timor and Apostolic Delegate in Brunei until October 11, 2019 .

Dioceses

• Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu
  • Diocese of Keningau
  • Diocese of Sandakan
• Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
  • Diocese of Melaka-Johor
  • Diocese of Penang
• Archdiocese of Kuching
  • Diocese of Miri
  • Diocese of Sibu

See also

• List of Roman Catholic Dioceses

Web links

• Entry on Catholic Church in Malaysia on catholic-hierarchy.org ; Retrieved December 10, 2014.
• Homepage of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand (English)
• Entry about Malaysia on Lexas Information Network

Individual evidence

1. ↑ International congregations worldwide - address list , Catholic Foreign Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference, accessed on December 10, 2014
2. ↑ Najib: Malaysia to establish diplomatic ties with The Vatican , The Star, July 18, 2011 (English)