Pope Francis delighted with the presence of first woman secretary of a bishop’s conference at the ad limina visit

Pope Francis was delighted when Canossian Sister Margarete Sta Maria accompanied the Malaysian, Singapore and Brunei bishops on their Ad Limina meeting on 8 Feb 2018: “The Pope was very happy …he said that it was the first time in the five years of his pontificate that he saw a woman as the secretary of the conference!” said Sr Margarete.

In an interview, Sr Margarete, the executive secretary of the Bishops’ conference, said, “I think many Christians do feel that they are a minority,” she said. “All non-Muslims do, because all the privileges are given to Muslims … jobs, education, are given to them under the quota system in which they have the majority.”

Sr Margarete added that, while there’s no outright religious persecution, there’s a form which is “very subtle.”

“Take religious freedom — we can worship, but I can’t speak to a Muslim about Jesus,” she said. “You cannot bring up the subject. It’s an unspoken rule.” – Herald Malaysia, 28 Feb 2018