Mgr Julian Leow Beng Kim, the new archbishop of Malaysia's capital city, reiterates his pastoral commitment to the poor, children, the last, and those who have abandoned the faith. In a country marked by sectarian tensions, he also wants to give a new impetus to interreligious dialogue for "mutual respect."

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Reaching out to Malaysians who left the Church and strengthening catechesis among young people are the main priorities that Mgr Julian Leow Beng Kim, the new Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, laid down during his ordination Mass celebrated last week.

For the prelate, such goals mean bringing "back the lost, those who have strayed away from Mother Church for whatever reason," and focusing in particular on young people, who need more than any other a "solid understanding of the faith, in the face of the challenges that they have to face all the time."

To do this, he identified "four Ls" - the lost, the little, the last and the least - that will guide his episcopate in the Malaysian capital, home to 180,000 Catholics divided among 40 parishes and chapels. 

To achieve his objectives, the prelate calls for a "review of the catechesis", which has to be "re-visited" to ensure that youth "know why they believe" and be "convinced of their faith".

For Mgr Julian Leow Beng Kim, the pastoral ministry also means taking care of migrants and the marginalised, who are at the bottom and most neglected.

"Migrants in our archdiocese left everything in search for something better," he noted. "I want them to feel that they are welcome, that they will find a safe haven in the Church and that God loves them very much."

Likewise, the prelate stressed that the Church has a duty to speak on behalf of those at the bottom, those who "have been forgotten by society."

Finally, he mentioned the need for a commitment to interfaith dialogue aimed at "dispelling misunderstandings" and creating a "healthy atmosphere of mutual respect" with other faiths, particularly Muslims.

Addressing the Malaysian people, Mgr Kim said he wanted to dedicate himself "to the task of healing and building our nation."

"I pray," he said, "for common sense to prevail and that our leaders take decisions that may be difficult, but certainly right".

In the recent past, Malaysia's Christian minority has been the victim of targeted attacks, including church burning, the desecration of Christian graves and the seizure of 300 Bibles in January.

The use of the word Allah to describe the Christian God is behind such violence. Indeed, what started out as a long-standing legal battle between the government in Kuala Lumpur and the Catholic weekly The Herald - whose petition was rejected on 23 June - has now become a national controversy.

The new archbishop was appointed on 3 July, following the resignation of his predecessor, Mgr Murphy Pakiam, 75, who reached the mandatory retirement age after a decade in the service of the diocese.

Mgr John Ha, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, together with the Bishop Emeritus of the capital Murphy Pakiam and Mgr Soter Fernandez presided over the ceremony, celebrated in the Church of the Holy Family.

The papal envoy, Apostolic Nuncio Mgr Joseph Marino, presented Pope Francis' apostolic letter to the new archbishop and led him to his cathedra or episcopal chair.

About 18 bishops and 130 priests from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Philippines also attended the ceremony. More than 9,000 people followed the ordination streamed live on YouTube.

Mgr Julian Leow Beng Kim concluded his speech by thanking those present in seven languages, namely Burmese, Nepali, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese, plus Tamil, Mandarin Chinese and Malaysian.

• malaysia
• new
• bishop
• kuala
• lumpur
• julian
• leow
• beng
• kim