KUALA LUMPUR: The Catholic Church has expressed regret that the Attorney-General would not take further action against two reporters from the Al Islam magazine who allegedly desecrated a holy Catholic ritual last year.
Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam said the church would not pursue legal action against the magazine and its reporters if a public apology was offered.
“Forgiveness is in our blood. Everyday, we pray for God to forgive us, and for forgiveness for those who have sinned against us,” he told reporters at his office here yesterday.
The two journalists, posing as Christians to probe allegations of Muslims being converted for their article in the May 2009 issue, had taken part in a mass and admitted to spitting out the Holy Communion.
In a Bernama report, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said stern action would not be in the interest of justice, peace and harmony at this particular time.
“I have previously decided similarly in other cases where the circumstances were quite similar involving other religions,” he said, adding that police investigation had disclosed that the reporters did not “know the significance of the white bread” given to them.
“No disturbance was caused in the church. In fact, no one in the church was aware that they were Malays,” he said, adding that while the reporters might have hurt the feelings of the people, he was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone and that it was an act of sheer ignorance.
