ECCLESIA IN ASIA Brunei, the resilience of the small Catholic flock in the sultanate

Three years after the death of its apostolic vicar, Bishop Sim, whom Pope Francis chose as a cardinal, the small local Church continues its path keeping the faith alive in this Muslim State of Borneo. The contribution of the lively community of Filipino immigrants in the life of the three parishes.

Kuching () – The vicariate of Brunei made headlines for the Church around the world on October 25, 2020, when Pope Francis announced that the then vicar apostolic, Cornelius Sim, had been elevated to the rank of cardinal. It was the first time that a pontiff chose a cardinal from this small Catholic community in Asia that has barely 21,000 faithful.

The consistory was held in St. Peter’s Square a month later, on November 28, 2020, but the new Cardinal Cornelius Sim could not be present to receive the red hat and ring due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. of Covid-19. On that occasion the cardinal insignia were sent by the Vatican to the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei, in a rare break with the traditions of the consistories. Six months later, however, the Brunei vicariate would be in the news again when the newly appointed Cardinal Cornelius Sim died on May 29, 2021 at the age of 69. His death occurred in Taiwan, while he was receiving treatment for a tumor at a medical center.

Since then, very little has been said about the vicariate of Brunei, whose apostolic see remains vacant three years later. But this small Church tenaciously continued to live its mission, headed by Vicar General Robert Leong, in its three parishes: the church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan, the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Seria and the church of Saint John the Evangelist in Kuala Belait. “Nothing important happens here. Here we just try to keep the faith alive,” Fr. Leong, one of three priests ministering in Brunei.

Cardinal Sim, who was known as the “baker” because he liked to prepare bread for his parishioners, always remembered that the motto of the diocese is “Duc in altum” (Jesus phrase: “Pour out into the deep”). “We are one of the smallest dioceses in Asia,” he stated. But we are fortunate to have with us a sizable Filipino congregation, which makes our Church very alive. “They bring their faith, with their pious popular devotions, and they greatly enrich us.”

Brunei is a country of just 5,700 square kilometers located entirely on the island of Borneo, which also includes the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah and the Indonesian Kalimantan. It has a population of 460 thousand inhabitants, its official language is Malaysian, but English and Chinese are also spoken. Brunei is an absolute monarchy ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. About two-thirds of the population are Muslims and the country has recently adopted Sharia law, although this applies only to Muslims in the country.

Approximately 10% of the sultanate’s population is atheist, 13% are Buddhist, and a small number practice indigenous religions or animism. Christians, half of whom are Catholic, make up 10% of Brunei’s main population. The majority of the faithful in the three parishes – around 70% – are immigrant workers from the Philippines. Another 20% are immigrants from other countries such as Indonesia, India and Malaysia, while the remaining 10% are native Catholics from Brunei.

Franciscan missionaries were the first to preach the Gospel in Brunei in 1587. But the local Church has only existed since 1997. Before, Catholics were served by the diocese of Miri, in Malaysia, and Father Sim himself was ordained a priest for this diocese. in 1989.

When John Paul II established the apostolic prefecture of Brunei in 1997, Bishop Sim was appointed prefect. Then, in 2004, the apostolic prefecture was elevated to a vicariate, leading to the consecration of Father Sim as bishop. The ceremony took place on January 21, 2005 and was presided over by Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, then Vatican ambassador to Brunei and other Southeast Asian countries. “It is a humble beginning, now we must continue moving forward to enrich our faith communities.” The Church of Brunei is part of the Episcopal Conference of Malaysia and Singapore.