Subject: VISnews 110727   
   Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede   
   From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt    
      
   VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
      
   TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 140   
   ENGLISH   
   WEDNESDAY, 27 JULY 2011   
      
   SUMMARY:   
      
   - Holy See and Malaysia Establish Diplomatic Relations   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   HOLY SEE AND MALAYSIA ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 27 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See and Malaysia, desirous of   
   promoting bonds of mutual friendship, have decided by common accord to   
   establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the   
   part of the Holy See and of embassy on the part of Malaysia.   
      
     A communique published today explains that Malaysia is the 179th nation to   
   establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See. The country has a surface   
   area of 329,750 square kilometres and a multi-racial and multi-cultural   
   population of 28,306,700. The religion of State is Islam, professed by 60.4   
   percent of the inhabitants. The next largest religious group is the   
   Buddhists (19.2 percent), followed by Christians (9.1 percent), Hindus (6.3   
   percent), Chinese religions (2.6 percent) and Animists (2.4 percent).   
      
     The Catholic Church has had a presence in the country since 1511, when the   
   first Portuguese missionaries reached Malacca. St. Francis Xavier also   
   arrived in that city in 1545. Today the Church has nine ecclesiastical   
   circumscriptions centred on the archdioceses of Kuala Lumpur (on the   
   peninsula) and of Kuching and of Kota Kinabalu (on the island of Borneo).   
   There are eleven bishops, 274 diocesan priests, 119 regular priests, 123   
   male religious, 759 female religious and 270 major seminarians. Catholics   
   number 850,720, around three percent of the population.   
      
     The Catholic Church, the communique explains, is active in evangelisation   
   and in the pastoral care of families and young people. While fully   
   respecting people's cultural and religious identity, she works in the fields   
   of education, charity and social work, running numerous primary and   
   secondary schools, as well as institutions for the poor and for migrant   
   workers. Initiatives exist to promote social harmony and reconciliation   
   among the various religious communities, through dialogue, equality of   
   rights and duties, and mutual respect.   
      
     The apostolic delegation to Malaysia was created on 2 February 1998 and   
   has existed until now.   
      
     On 18 July Benedict XVI received Najib Bin Abdul Razak, prime minister of   
   Malaysia, in audience at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo. During that   
   meeting agreement was reached to establish diplomatic relations between   
   Malaysia and the Holy See.   
   OP/                                                                     VIS   
   20110727 (360)   
      
   OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 27 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:   
      
    - Appointed Bishop Manoel dos Reis de Farias of Patos, Brazil, as bishop of   
   Petrolina (area 15,622, population 421,836, Catholics 337,468, priests 36,   
   religious 67), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop Paulo Cardoso da Silva O. Carm.,   
   whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same bishop the Holy Father   
   accepted, upon having reached the age limit.   
      
    - Appointed Fr. Ivo Muser of the clergy of the diocese of   
   Bolzano-Bressanone, Italy, dean of the cathedral chapter in Bressanone, as   
   bishop of the same diocese (area 7,400, population 500,030, Catholics   
   485,029, priests 700, permanent deacons 18, religious 800). The bishop-elect   
   was born in Brunico, Italy in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1987. He   
   succeeds Bishop Karl Gosler, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the   
   same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2   
   of the Code of Canon Law.   
      
    - Appointed Msgr. Gilson Andrade da Silva of the clergy of the diocese of   
   Petropolis, Brazil, rector of the diocesan seminary "Nossa Senhora do Amor   
   Divino", as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Sao Salvador da Bahia (area   
   3,859, population 3,210,878, Catholics 2,284,477, priests 283, permanent   
   deacons 93, religious 1,070), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Rio de   
   Janeiro, Brazil in 1966 and ordained a priest in 1991.   
   NER:RE:NEA/                                                     VIS 20110727   
   (230)   
   _____________________________________________   
      
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