Malaysia's first Catholic cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez dies at 88

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s first Roman Catholic cardinal Rev Anthony Soter Fernandez passed away at 12.35pm on Wednesday (Oct 28) at the Little Sisters of the Poor home for the elderly in Cheras.

News of his death was posted on the Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese website, stating that Fernandez, 88, had passed away peacefully at the home.

Archdiocese communications and relations media officer Patricia Pereira said details of the wake and funeral would be confirmed later.

Fernandez, the former archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in November last year and was cared for at the home after undergoing immunotherapy and radiotherapy.

He was ordained as a priest in Penang in 1966 and became bishop of the diocese 12 years later.

He retired as archbishop of Kuala Lumpur in 2013 after a 20-year service and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016.