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ROMAN Catholic Cardinal the Rev. Anthony Soter Fernandez died Wednesday after a long battle with tongue cancer. He will be remembered for his humility, defending social justice and human rights and maintaining strong interreligious dialogue.
Malaysia’s first cardinal was 88 years old. She died peacefully at the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, after undergoing immunotherapy and radiation therapy.
Servant of God: The late Fernández is remembered as a humble and kind person.
The dean of Catholic priests was a caring man, says the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Sentul, Fr. George Packiasamy.
He recalled how Fernández knelt before him after being ordained a priest in 2003.
“I was surprised that he, an archbishop (at the time), was humble enough to kneel before me. Then he kissed my two anointed palms and hugged me. He was a wise father figure and a loving man, ”he said on the church’s website, stjosephsentul.org.
Born in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Fernández was ordained a priest in Penang in 1966 and rose to become bishop of the diocese 12 years later, where he remained until 1983.
Fernández was appointed archbishop in 1983 by then-Pope John Paul II. He was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in Vatican City in 2016.
Throughout his vocation, Fernández held a very special place in his heart for the sick and the elderly, Packiasamy recalled.
“When he was based in Pahang and Terengganu, during his visits there he would ask me to take him to visit the sick and elderly.
“In 2018, he asked me to take him to Klang to visit some sick people, including my late mother. He really cared and showed great concern for the sick and the little ones, ”he wrote.
Penang-based businessman JP Vincent, 59, a friend of Fernandez’s family, said he was deeply saddened by her passing.
“My late father and the cardinal were close friends since the 1950s. He used to come to our house in Gelugor (in Penang) regularly. He was a man of discipline and great leadership.
“Due to the CMCO (conditional motion control order), I was unable to visit him when he was ill. Instead, the church members and I used to record voice messages and videos to send them, ”said Vincent, who replaced his WhatsApp profile picture with that of Fernández in his cardinal outfit as a show of respect.
Vincent said he last met Fernandez at the commemorative Mass for the 25th anniversary of Monsignor IJ Aloysius at St. Francis Xavier Church (city parish) in Penang in February last year.
He said Fernandez vividly recalled the many personal encounters he had with the late Aloysius from his early days in Penang in the 1950s.
William Albert Francis, 57, said it was a “humbling experience” every time he came face to face with Fernandez at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur.
“As archbishop he used to deliver a very meaningful homily every time he visited our parish. I used to come back feeling fulfilled and with a deep sense of purpose, ”said the retired security guard.
On Thursday, Pope Francis sent a letter of condolence on Fernández’s passing to the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, the Most Reverend Julian Leow Beng Kim.
In his letter, the Pope prayed for the cardinal’s “eternal rest”, expressing his gratitude for his “faithful witness to the Gospel, his generous service to the Church in Malaysia, and his longstanding commitment to promoting ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. ”.
Among those who attended his wake at St. John’s Cathedral in KL were Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
His funeral mass was celebrated yesterday in the Cathedral of San Juan. Due to restrictions imposed by the conditional MCO, only 20 people could attend Mass.
The proceedings were followed by thousands of Malaysians and Catholics around the world via live broadcast.
The funeral mass was presided over by Leow, and relatives of Fernández and other representatives of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur attended.
“True to her simplicity and humble nature, Cardinal chose this CMCO moment to leave us,” said Leow.
“I avoided publicity but never responsibility. We will all miss him very much, ”Leow said.
As befits a cardinal and church leader, Fernandez was buried in a crypt in the cathedral, alongside Kuala Lumpur’s first archbishop, Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon.
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