Archbishop Marino issued a statement late Tuesday,after meeting with foreign minister,Anifah Aman,saying his comments were "never intended as an attempt to intrude into the internal affairs of the country".
Archbishop Marino who arrived in Kuala Lumpur less than six months ago,had last Thursday waded into a religious row in Muslim-majority Malaysia over the use of the word "Allah". He described arguments put forward by the Catholic Church in an on-going court battle for the right to translate God as Allah in Malay-language Bibles and other literature as "logical and acceptable". Soon after, heraldline Muslim groups began calling for him to be sent home. Several cabinet minister also accused him of "interference". The statement from the Archbishop's office said he had never intended to interfer. "In that context,he asked him (Anifah) to convey apologies for any misunderstandings and incoveniencies that it may have caused". the statement said. Anifah also in a statement said that, "Archbishop Marino was advised to be mindful of the religious sensitivities of the host country and that the issue he commented on is still undes the Court of Appeal". Controversy over the use of the word "Allah" came to a head 3 years ago when the High Court ruled that non-Muslims are allowed to use the name to refer to God in their Malay-lang literature. The court arose after Malaysia's Catholic Church sued the government for banning the use of the word in its newspaper,The Herald. Muslims had denounced the verdict claiming "Allah" is exclusive to Islam. The government decided to appeal the ruling after several places of worship were fire bombed. Malaysia has more than 2.5 million Christians in a population of 28 million,of which about 60% are Muslims. ******Why do Muslims always like making trouble where there is none??? With their current population of 60% in 28 million,I think Christians there still has a lot to do in showing them the "light" through evangelism.
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