03/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐
On 2 September 2026, His Eminence Datoโ Seri Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Penang, warmly received H.E. Peter Spiลกiak, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Malaysia, during a courtesy visit held at the Diocesan Centre in George Town, Penang.
In their cordial conversation, Ambassador Spiลกiak expressed his admiration for the Malaysian Churchโs commitment to interreligious dialogue, noting its vital role in fostering deeper friendship, and shared humanity among diverse communities. Cardinal Sebastian highlighted Malaysiaโs unique model of religious cooperation through the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), which brings together major non-Muslim faith traditions to promote goodwill and harmony across the nationโs multicultural landscape.
Ambassador Spiลกiak also shared the artistic inspiration behind the Kuala Lumpur Slovak Embassyโs logo, which blends elements of Malay batik and Slovak textile motifs, accompanied by the theme: โTOGETHER BEYOND DISTANCE โ Building Bridges between Slovakia and Malaysia.โ Cardinal Sebastian noted the meaningful resonance of this theme with the recently concluded Federation of Asian Bishops Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia which likewise emphasized the call to be โBridges and Bridge-Builders in Asia.โ
The meeting strengthened mutual understanding and goodwill between the Embassy of the Slovak Republic, Kuala Lumpur and the Catholic Diocese of Penang, reaffirming a shared commitment to dialogue.
