Sibu – “I hope that the 2026 Malaysia Pastoral Convention will be a time of reflection, filled with grace, on what it means to be Church in Malaysia. The hope is that it will unite us in celebrating our faith while embracing the richness of our cultural and ethnic diversity.” With these words, Archbishop Julian Leow, head of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, presents the major pastoral assembly being held by Malaysia’s Catholic community from 9 to 13 September in Sibu, in the Sarawak region, on the island of Malaysian Borneo.
The convention, attended by nearly 1,000 delegates, will focus on four main themes: family, Church, society and ecology, echoing the synodal approach through a style of “celebrating, listening and walking”.
Among those present, Archbishop Leow stressed that the convention would be an opportunity to “listen to one another’s joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams, so that we may learn to accompany and support one another along the journey of life”. “Through a spirit of attentive listening and shared discernment,” he added, “we are called to rediscover our prophetic role as a Church in Malaysia and to identify pastoral paths that respond to the challenges of the present while preparing us for those of the future.”
The 2026 Malaysia Pastoral Convention was prepared by an organizing committee made up of delegates from all nine dioceses: “It is important,” noted Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang, “that the outcome of the convention is not determined solely by the bishops, but by all those taking part in this synodal process. The Holy Spirit, the main driving force, will guide us. Our task is to participate with humility, obedience and fidelity to the Holy Spirit and to the People of God.”
Amid the pluralism of an assembly bringing together people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, there is a strong desire for unity in a national context that encompasses, on the one hand, the dioceses of Peninsular Malaysia and, on the other, those of Malaysian Borneo, each with its own distinctive identity. “We want to deepen our understanding of what it means to be one Church. Since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the dioceses and regions of Peninsular Malaysia, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, have developed their own pastoral approaches and held their respective assemblies. Now, for the first time, delegates from across the country are gathering in Sarawak to listen, discern and seek together a common path forward,” Cardinal Francis said.
The Convention will conclude on 13 September, just three days before Malaysia Day , celebrated each year on 16 September to commemorate the formation of the Malaysian Federation in 1963. At a time when political developments and national issues can heighten religious sensitivities and social tensions, contributing to polarization, the Pastoral Convention will be an opportunity to reaffirm “our commitment to walking together and to offering a united evangelical witness in our nation”, noted Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching.
Patricia Pereira, editor of the Catholic newspaper ‘Herald Malaysia’, observed: “Every meaningful journey begins with a vision. The idea of a Malaysian Pastoral Convention was first formulated during the 2016 Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Convention. It was on that occasion that Archbishop Emeritus John Ha proposed something unprecedented: bringing together all nine dioceses of Malaysia in a single national pastoral assembly.”
“For four decades, in fact, the Church in Peninsular Malaysia had followed its own pastoral paths, while other specific approaches had developed in the Churches of Sabah and Sarawak. Each region developed according to its own history and context. The time had come to move beyond regional dialogues and begin discerning together as one Malaysian Church,” she recalled.
After a period of discernment and preparation lasting around ten years, the convention is now taking shape. “The dream born in 2016 has become a shared journey bringing together bishops, clergy, religious and lay people throughout Malaysia. After years of prayer, dialogue and discernment, the Church now stands on the threshold of a crucial moment in its history, to renew its mission.”
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