Anthony Soter Fernandez
Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur
Cardinal Fernandez at the consistory in 2016
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseArchdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
Installed10 November 1983
Term ended24 May 2003
PredecessorDominic Vendargon
SuccessorMurphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Alberto Magno
Orders
Ordination10 December 1966
Consecration17 February 1978
by Gregory Yong,
Chan Soon Cheong, and
Lee Kok Hin
Created cardinal19 November 2016
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born(1932-04-22)22 April 1932
Died28 October 2020(2020-10-28) (aged 88)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
BuriedSt. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
DenominationCatholic Church
Previous post(s)Bishop of Penang (1977–1983)
MottoKeadilan dan Keamanan
(Justice and Peace)
Coat of armsAnthony Soter Fernandez's coat of arms
Ordination history of
Anthony Soter Fernandez
History
Priestly ordination
Date29 July 1973
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorGregory Yong
Co-consecratorsJames Chan Soon Cheong
Anthony Lee Kok Hin
Date17 February 1978
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Francis
Date19 November 2016
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Anthony Soter Fernandez as principal consecrator
Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam4 Oct 1995
Styles of
Anthony Soter Fernandez
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

Anthony Soter Fernandez (22 April 1932 – 28 October 2020) was a Malaysian prelate of the Catholic Church who was the first Malaysian cardinal. He was Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur from 1983 to 2003.

Biography

Anthony Soter Fernandez was born on 22 April 1932 in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia. He was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Penang on 10 December 1966.[1]

He was named Bishop of Penang on 29 September 1977.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on 17 February 1978[1] from Gregory Yong, Archbishop of Singapore.

Pope John Paul II appointed him the second Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 30 July 1983[3] and he was installed there on 10 November 1983.[1]

He served as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei from 1987–1990 and 2000–2003.

Pope John Paul accepted his resignation as archbishop on 24 May 2003.[4]

Fernandez was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory on 19 November 2016,[5] and was the first Malaysian to be made a cardinal.[6][7]

Fernandez died on 28 October 2020 at the Little Sisters of the Poor St. Francis Xavier Home in Cheras. He had been suffering from tongue cancer for several years.[8][9] He was buried in the nave of St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "UCAN Diocesan Profile Series". Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010.
  2. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXX. 1978. p. 65. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  3. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXV. 1983. p. 852. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  4. "Rinunce e Nomine, 24.05.2003" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 May 2003.
  5. "Pope to create 13 new cardinals, including 3 Americans". Crux. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  6. Arbee, Awaina (9 October 2016). "Pope Francis names Malaysia's first ever cardinal". New Straits Times. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. "Catholics celebrate first Malaysian Cardinal". Asia News. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  8. "Malaysia's sole Roman Catholic cardinal Fernandez dies of cancer". MSN News. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  9. Chandran, Sheela (1 November 2020). "Tribute for a true man of the cloth". The Star. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  10. Emmanuel Santa Maria Chin (31 October 2020). "Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez buried in Cathedral of St John, KL". Malay Mail. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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