Cardinal Sebastian obliges his PAS friend, notching a landmark in ties

Abdul Rahman Kassim, a prominent member of the PAS party, has been working for nearly two decades to improve the relationship between his party and Christian groups in northern Malaysia. This effort includes organizing dialogue sessions between PAS leaders and priests and lay activists from Catholic churches in Perak, Kedah, and Penang. When Sebastian Francis became the Bishop of Penang in 2013, Rahman found in him a valuable contact between Islamists like himself and the Catholic Church.

As Sebastian was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2023, Rahman saw in him an ideal person to further strengthen the ties between the two religions. The two men began meeting regularly, regularly attending get-to-know-you sessions, dialogues, high teas, lunches, dinners, and visits to mosques. These positive interactions led to a milestone event when Cardinal Sebastian accepted an invitation from Rahman to attend the 72nd muktamar, an annual gathering of PAS members, which took place in Kota Bharu.

This was the first time in the history of the party's annual general meetings that a high-ranking Catholic prelate had attended the event. Rahman's optimism and willingness to overlook theological differences allowed him to see the potential for progress in the relationship between Islam and Christianity. To further emphasize the importance of this relationship, Rahman even invited Cardinal Sebastian to his daughter's wedding, held at his home in Tasek Gelugor, Penang.

The cardinal's presence at the wedding caused a great deal of surprise and delight among the guests, who were not accustomed to seeing a religious figure of the Catholic faith interacting so openly with a Muslim individual.