KOTA KINABALU (UCAN): Archbishop Wojciech Zaluski, apostolic nuncio to Malaysia and Timor-Leste, urged the country’s Catholics to generously help poor Churches across Asia. He said that the local Church’s financial aid was “generous in the development of the Church here [in Malaysia],” and that it “should also continue to lend a helping hand to Catholics in poorer countries,” such as Timor-Leste.
Archbishop Zaluski, who is also the apostolic delegate to Brunei, made the appeal while inaugurating the Catholic Archdiocesan Centre [CAC] of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah on November 12, todayscatholic.com, the archdiocesan news website reported.
The nuncio told the gathering that during his visit to Timor-Leste he came to know that some Church facilities in the country were built with donations from Catholics of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
The archbishop expressed his happiness at learning that learn that Catholics from Kota Kinabalu contributed most funds needed for the Catholic Archdiocesan Centre.
The three-storey building, equipped with a hall and chapel, cost 9.5 million Malaysian Ringgit [$16.3 million]
The nuncio told the gathering that during his visit to Timor-Leste he came to know that some Church facilities in the country were built with donations from Catholics of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei
Archbishop John Soo Kau Wong of Kota Kinabalu, Bishop Cornelius Piong of Keningau, Sabah state’s deputy chief minister, Joachim Gunsalam, and former Malaysian ambassador to the Vatican, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Bernard Giluk Dompok, were also present during the event.
Archbishop Zaluski expressed hope that the centre would “inspire and motivate the Catholic community in Malaysia to carry out the mission of the Church even more enthusiastically,” adding, “Let this be a place to come to meet, work, discuss and motivate in the service of our faith.”
The centre is located adjacent to the Sacred Heart Cathedral and will replace the Catholic Diocesan Centre [CDC] at Taman Hiburan in Penampang which has been in use since 1988. The older building will be repurposed as a centre for priestly formation.
Archbishop Wong expressed hope that the centre will aid in uniting the resources of the archdiocese and help its various branches realise the full potential of their charisms.
The archbishop added his hopes that the CAC would help the people of Kota Kinabalu “in carrying out [their] mission as a ‘caring communion of Christ-centred communities’ in this archdiocese.”
He said, “It is our desire to be a synodal Church that aims to walk forward in communion, carrying out our mission through the participation of the baptised”
The Church in Malaysia has 1.17 million Catholics in three archdioceses and six dioceses.
