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His Eminence Anthony Soter Fernandez
Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur
Cardinal Fernandez at the consistory in 2016
Church Roman Catholic Church
Diocese Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
Enthroned 10 November 1983
Reign ended 24 May 2003
Predecessor Dominic Vendargon
Successor Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam
Other posts Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Alberto Magno
Orders
Ordination 10 December 1966
Consecration 17 February 1978
by Gregory Yong,
Chan Soon Cheong, and
Lee Kok Hin
Created Cardinal 19 November 2016
Rank Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born (1932-04-22)22 April 1932
Sungai Petani, Kedah, Unfederated Malay States
Died 28 October 2020(2020-10-28) (aged 88)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Buried St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nationality Malaysian
Denomination Catholic Church
Previous post Bishop of Penang (1977–1983)
Motto Keadilan dan Keamanan
(Justice and Peace)
Coat of arms {{{coat_of_arms_alt}}}
Styles of
Anthony Soter Fernandez
Coat of arms of Anthony Soter Fernandez.svg
Reference style His Eminence
Spoken style Your Eminence
Informal style Cardinal

Anthony Soter Fernandez (born April 22, 1932 – died October 28, 2020) was an important leader in the Catholic Church from Malaysia. He was the very first Malaysian to become a Cardinal. He served as the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur for many years, from 1983 to 2003.

Biography

Early Life and Priesthood

Anthony Soter Fernandez was born on April 22, 1932. His birthplace was Sungai Petani in Kedah, Malaysia. He decided to become a priest. On December 10, 1966, he was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Penang.

Becoming a Bishop and Archbishop

On September 29, 1977, he was chosen to be the Bishop of Penang. He officially became a bishop on February 17, 1978. The ceremony was led by Gregory Yong, who was the Archbishop of Singapore.

Later, Pope John Paul II appointed him as the second Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. This happened on July 30, 1983. He officially took on this role on November 10, 1983.

He also served as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. He held this important position twice: from 1987 to 1990, and again from 2000 to 2003. Pope John Paul II accepted his retirement as archbishop on May 24, 2003.

Becoming a Cardinal

A very special moment in his life came on November 19, 2016. Pope Francis made him a Cardinal during a special ceremony called a consistory. This was a historic event because he was the first person from Malaysia to ever become a Cardinal.

Later Life and Legacy

Cardinal Fernandez passed away on October 28, 2020. He died at the Little Sisters of the Poor St. Francis Xavier Home in Cheras. He had been battling tongue cancer for several years. He was buried inside St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, in the main part of the church called the nave.

See also

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