{{Short description|Malaysian Catholic archbishop (1932–2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Cardinal | honorific_prefix = [[His Eminence]] | name = Anthony Soter Fernandez | honorific_suffix = | title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] and [[Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur|Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur]] | image = Cardinal_Fernandez.jpg | caption = Fernandez in 2016 | church = [[Roman Catholic Church]] | province = | diocese = Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur | see = | enthroned = 10 November 1983 | ended = 24 May 2003 | predecessor = [[Dominic Vendargon]] | successor = [[Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam]] | ordination = 10 December 1966 | consecration = 17 February 1978 | consecrated_by = [[Gregory Yong]],<br> [[James Chan Soon Cheong|Chan Soon Cheong]], and<br> [[Anthony Lee Kok Hin|Lee Kok Hin]] | cardinal = 19 November 2016 | created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Francis]] | rank = [[Cardinal-Priest]] | other_post = Cardinal-Priest of [[Sant'Alberto Magno]] | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1932|04|22}} | birth_place = [[Sungai Petani]], [[Kedah]], [[Unfederated Malay States]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|10|28|1932|04|22|df=y}} | death_place = [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia | buried = [[St. John's Cathedral (Kuala Lumpur)|St. John's Cathedral]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia | denomination = [[Catholic Church]] | residence = | previous_post = Bishop of Penang (1977–1983) | parents = | spouse = | children = | occupation = | profession = | alma_mater = | signature = | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Anthony Soter Fernandez.svg | motto = ''Keadilan dan Keamanan''<br>(Justice and Peace) }} {{Ordination | ordained deacon by = | date of diaconal ordination = | place of diaconal ordination = | ordained priest by = | date of priestly ordination = 29 July 1973 | place of priestly ordination = | consecrated by = [[Gregory Yong]] | co-consecrators = [[James Chan Soon Cheong]]<br/>[[Anthony Lee Kok Hin]] | date of consecration = 17 February 1978 | elevated by = [[Pope Francis]] | date of elevation = 19 November 2016 | bishop 1 = [[Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam]] | consecration date 1 = 4 Oct 1995 }} {{Infobox cardinal styles |name = Anthony Soter Fernandez |image = Coat of arms of Anthony Soter Fernandez.svg |image_size = 200px |dipstyle = [[His Eminence]] |offstyle = [[His Eminence|Your Eminence]] |relstyle = [[Cardinal (Catholic)|Cardinal]] |deathstyle = }}
'''Anthony Soter Fernandez''' (22 April 1932 – 28 October 2020) was a Malaysian prelate of the [[Catholic Church]] who was the first Malaysian [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]]. He was [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur|Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur]] from 1983 to 2003.
==Biography== Anthony Soter Fernandez was born on 22 April 1932 in [[Sungai Petani]], [[Kedah]], Malaysia. He was ordained as a [[priest]] of the Diocese of Penang on 10 December 1966.<ref name=ucan>{{cite web | url = http://www.ucanews.com/dps/html/dps-ma_kuala_lumpur.php | website =Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur | url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430130856/http://www.ucanews.com/dps/html/dps-ma_kuala_lumpur.php |archive-date=30 April 2010 | title = UCAN Diocesan Profile Series }}</ref>
He was named [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Bishop of Penang]] on 29 September 1977.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | volume = LXX | date= 1978 | page = 65 | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-70-1978-I-ocr.pdf | access-date = 28 October 2020}}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration on 17 February 1978<ref name=ucan/> from [[Gregory Yong]], Archbishop of Singapore.
[[Pope John Paul II]] appointed him the second Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 30 July 1983<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | volume = LXXV | date= 1983 | page = 852| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-75-1983-I-ocr.pdf | access-date = 28 October 2020}}</ref> and he was installed there on 10 November 1983.<ref name=ucan/>
He served as president of the [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei]] from 1987–1990 and 2000–2003.
Pope John Paul accepted his resignation as archbishop on 24 May 2003.<ref>{{cite press release | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2003/05/24/0271/00820.html | date = 24 May 2003 | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 24.05.2003 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}}</ref>
Fernandez was created a cardinal by [[Pope Francis]] in the [[Papal consistory|consistory]] on 19 November 2016,<ref>{{cite web|title=Pope to create 13 new cardinals, including 3 Americans|url=https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/10/09/330128/|website=Crux|access-date=9 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010090100/https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/10/09/330128/|archive-date=10 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was the first Malaysian to be made a cardinal.<ref name="nst-cardinal">{{cite news|last1=Arbee|first1=Awaina|title=Pope Francis names Malaysia's first ever cardinal|url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/10/179209/pope-francis-names-malaysias-first-ever-cardinal|access-date=21 October 2016|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | access-date = 24 October 2017 | date= 10 October 2016 | work = Asia News | url = http://www.asianews.it/index.php?art=38812&l=en | title= Catholics celebrate first Malaysian Cardinal }}</ref>
Fernandez died on 28 October 2020 at the Little Sisters of the Poor St. Francis Xavier Home in [[Cheras, Kuala Lumpur|Cheras]]. He had been suffering from tongue cancer for several years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Malaysia's sole Roman Catholic cardinal Fernandez dies of cancer|url=https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/malaysias-sole-roman-catholic-cardinal-fernandez-dies-of-cancer/ar-BB1asMbF|publisher=MSN News|date=28 October 2020|access-date=28 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tribute for a true man of the cloth|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2020/11/01/tribute-for-a-true-man-of-the-cloth|work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]|first1=Sheela|last1=Chandran|date=1 November 2020|access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> He was buried in the [[nave]] of [[St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Cardinal Anthony Soter Fernandez buried in Cathedral of St John, KL|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/10/31/cardinal-anthony-soter-fernandez-buried-in-cathedral-of-st-john-kl/1918115|author=Emmanuel Santa Maria Chin|publisher=[[Malay Mail]]|date=31 October 2020|access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commonscat}}
* {{cite web| access-date = 24 October 2017| title= Fernandez Card. Anthony Soter |publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_fernandez_as.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904104555/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_fernandez_as.html }}
{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{succession box | title=3rd [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Catholic Bishop of Penang]] | before=[[Gregory Yong|Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean]] | after=[[Antony Selvanayagam]] | years=1977–1983 | }} {{succession box | title=2nd [[Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur|Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur]] | before=[[Dominic Vendargon]] | after=[[Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam]] | years=1983–2003 | }} {{succession box |title=Cardinal Priest of [[Sant'Alberto Magno]] |before=titular church established |after=[[Virgílio do Carmo da Silva]] |years=2016–2020 }} {{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Bishops of Penang}} {{Cardinals created by Francis}} {{Portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Malaysia}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Anthony Soter}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2020 deaths]] [[Category:People from Kedah]] [[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Kuala Lumpur]] [[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Malaysia]] [[Category:Malaysian people of Malayali descent]] [[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Malaysia]] [[Category:Malaysian people of Indian descent]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] [[Category:Malaysian cardinals]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in Malaysia]] [[Category:Deaths from tongue cancer]] [[Category:Malaysian Roman Catholic archbishops]]