KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Catholic population are pleased that The Vatican and Malaysia have finally come to terms with their new relationship. The praise comes as Pope Benedict XVI announced the appointment of a new envoy to the Southeast Asian country. “This is a great time to be Catholic in Malaysia because we are opening eyes to our existence and the government is listening,” Terry Lo, a Catholic Malaysian living in Kuala Lumpur, told Bikyanews.com on Saturday. “I hope this is not just an election gimmick to get Christians to vote for the government and it will be real change in how Christians are treated here,” he said, in reference to upcoming national elections in the country that are expected to be the closest in the country's history. Malaysia and the Catholic Church have only had diplomatic relations for the past 18 months, but the move to appoint an envoy to the Muslim-majority country was welcomed by Prime Minister Najib Razak. Tension has been on the rise slightly in the country, but it has not led to any violent encounters between the different religious groups. “I am delighted by the appointment of Archbishop Joseph Marino as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia," the prime minister said in a statement issued on Friday. “Having established diplomatic ties in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI and I vowed to work together to increase understanding between Christians and Muslims. The appointment is a testament to this commitment." The American archbishop will also serve as an envoy to Malaysia's smaller neighbors East Timor and Brunei, according to a report on the website of the Vatican Insider. The Vatican and Malaysia established official diplomatic ties after Najib visited the Holy See in July 2011. More than 60 percent of Malaysia's 29 million people are Muslim ethnic Malays, but it also has sizable Chinese and Indian minorities. 9 percent of the population are Christians, including 850,000 Catholics. Bikyanews.com
