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PETALING JAYA: Tributes, memories and tears continue to flow for Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernández, who passed away yesterday, leaving an enduring legacy for generations to come.
Fernandez, who succumbed to tongue cancer at age 88, played a huge role in the realm of religion in Malaysia.
He excelled in social justice, moral issues, and interfaith dialogue in the face of religious fanaticism and injustice.
He awakened various religions to collectively fight against oppression, corruption and greed.
Fernández was an outspoken critic of detentions without trial and declared the Internal Security Act (ISA) as “immoral.”
As a defender of human rights and the marginalized, he championed issues of justice and peace within the church, as well as in society at large.
However, his work to promote social justice programs under the National Human Development Office of the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conference created problems.
Several church workers and volunteers were arrested during Operation Lalang on October 27, 1987, a crackdown that followed growing dissent from civil society and opposition parties.
He loved Malaysia. In an effort to promote the national language, Fernández pioneered the use of Bahasa Malay in the church.
He urged the Christian community to use Bahasa Malaysia widely, “not only because our children have a better command of the language, but as a sign of our commitment and love for our country.”
The church, he added, should pay more attention to the national language and culture if it wanted to remain faithful to the idea of post-Vatican II inculturation.
Fernández was the first bishop to use Bahasa Malaysia in his episcopal motto, “Keadilan dan Keamanan” (Justice and Peace) when he was ordained bishop of Penang in 1986.
The motto is powerfully reflected in their pastoral priorities and projects that included reaching Orang Asli communities and people with disabilities.
When he was elected president of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism in 2001, he expressed his hope for unity and understanding among the religions.
He said: “The fabric of our nation is made up of rich cultures and various religions. Any religion that enforces its teachings with less respect for other religions destroys the very fabric. “
It is no wonder that his close friends include people of other faiths and Christians of other denominations.
He had a progressive view on politics and the church.
A complicated situation arose about two years before the 2013 general election when some parishioners accused the main churches of bringing politics to the pulpit.
He then told this writer that religion, citizens’ rights, education, business, culture and the rule of law were politically intertwined in Malaysia.
The criticisms of the church were intended to incite the government in office in its responsibility towards the people, he said.
The church, he said, has an important role in nation-building and must highlight issues that affect the well-being of its community.
Then-Prime Minister Najib Razak’s visit to the Vatican in July 2011 to establish diplomatic ties further strengthened Fernández’s vision of how a government and a religious authority could coexist in harmony.
The warmth, humility, enthusiasm and determination characteristic of Fernandez, born in Sungai Petani, derive from the days of his childhood in his birthplace and Taiping.
He met marginalized people during his time as a hospital dressing room on the Kuala Ketil estate in Kedah and as a hospital assistant at the Penang City Council tuberculosis center on Perak Road from 1947 to 1954.
His top priority as a young man after his father’s death was to take care of his mother and ensure that his younger brother received a proper and uninterrupted education.
At age 26, he entered the priesthood with the support of the late Monsignor IJ Aloysius and the late Archbishop Dominic Vendargon.
In 1966, he was ordained a priest and rose to become bishop, archbishop, and finally Malaysia’s first cardinal in 2016.
Fernández has gifted us with the joy of living among religions with the fundamental virtues of mutual respect and acceptance.
We must take advantage of the precious legacy and ensure that it is not lost.
Visitation will be at the St. John’s Cathedral Community Center, Jalan Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur, today from noon to 9 pm, and tomorrow from 8 am to 9 pm
Due to the lockdown, only 20 visitors are allowed at a time for 15 minutes each.
Those who wish to pay their last respects should register online at https://wake.archkl.org.
The funeral mass on Saturday at 10.30 am will be broadcast live https://Tv.ArchKL.org
