ASIA/MALAYSIA - Sandakan diocese created and first Bishop of ordained

Sandakan (Agenzia Fides) - Catholics in Malaysia recently celebrated an historic event the foundation of a new diocese of Sandakan and the ordination of the first Bishop of Sandakan, Mgr Julius Dusin Gitom. Sandakan, a city port in the province of Sabah on the island of Borneo, on the coast of the southern seas and a traditional stop for navigators, traders, missionaries and pirates.
The solemn Mass for the ordination was presided by the Apostolic Nuncio to Bangkok, Apostolic Delegate for Malaysia, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio. All the Bishops of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei took part at the ceremony (the three countries belong to the same Bishops Conference). Many priests from different Dioceses in Malaysia concelebrated in the Eucharist. One federal Minister, who is from the area, four local Ministers of the State Sabah and about 5,000 faithful participated at the ceremony.
In his homily, the Apostolic Delegate reminded the new Bishop about the mission of a Chief Pastor to confirm and affirm people in their faith, “it is given to him and required of him to do that, to strengthen the faith that binds us together. It means that he trusts in the power of his anointing, trusts that God will give him the words that need to be said in whatever situation and whatever time he must speak.” Furthermore, he recalled that, “through his Ordination, the bishop is configured to Christ the Good Shepherd, inserted into the very person of the Risen Christ so that, through him, the Risen Christ would be able to speak to his flock, gather them as his Church, lead them, feed them and find them when they stray from the right path.
On that same day, the Malaysian Muslims were celebrating Hari Raya Ad-il Fitr, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Delegate described it as a “happy coincidence” and offered Malaysian Muslims “our warmest greetings on this great occasion” and noted that “as the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue wrote in the Message for the end of Ramadan, ‘Christians and Muslims are called to promote a culture of peace.’” To the new Bishop, he said: “Among other important obligations as a Bishop, you have the duty to promote interreligious dialogue and uphold the spirit of harmony and understanding among people of different faiths in your beloved country.”.
Although with a large territory, the Diocese of Sandakan has only two indigenous priests and at present only four parishes, which however have many outstations, many of which are potential parishes.
The new Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom, a member of the clergy of Kota Kinabalu diocese, from whose territory the diocese of Sandakan was taken, was born in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1989. Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom accepted his appointment with joy and gratitude to the Pope and resolved to be an Apostle of the Gospel in full fidelity to the Church. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 18/10/2007 righe 27 parole 279)