The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur: 'On the word Allah, a politicized case: the term will continue to be used in liturgies'

MALAYSIA - Kuala Lumpur - The judgment of the Court of Appeal on the use of the term Allah in Christian publications "was predictable: we expected this outcome: the case has been far too politicized" says to Fides Agency the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Msg. Murphy Pakiam, commenting on the verdict of the Court of Appeal, unfavorable to the Catholic weekly of his diocese "Herald Malaysia".

The Archbishop expresses his thoughts to Fides: "We prayed for the minds of the judges to be enlightened, but evidently God's plans were different. In any case we will appeal to the Federal Court to get justice". Confiding in the fact that "there is disappointment and concern among the faithful", the Archbishop reports the reaction of the "Council of Churches in Sabah and Sarawak", which includes the Bishops of all denominations. "The bishops pointed out that in churches and liturgies the term 'Allah' will continue to be used. The ruling only affects the weekly Herald and not our 'Alkitab', historical Bible in Malaysian language". "The unknown - the Archbishop notes - is represented by radical Islamic groups, which could give a restrictive interpretation of the judgment".

Mgr. Pakiam adds: "We hope and pray so that the political situation becomes clearer, to have better balance on behalf of the institutions on this delicate subject, in matters of faith and freedom of religious minorities". "Last night - he concludes - we prayed at the stadium in Kuala Lumpur to consecrate our nation to the Virgin Mary, in communion with the Holy Father. Our weapon is prayer. We hope and pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten legislators and decision-makers. Even extremist groups need our prayer. We want to help create peace and harmony in our pluralistic natio . We want to build bridges with Islam".

Source: news.va