KUCHING: As Christians celebrate Easter, Kuching Catholic Archbishop Simon Poh has called for goodwill among all faiths in building a better Malaysia.

       He said Easter was a time to share hope and common purpose in life.

       "For Christians, our faith has to be expressed concretely in loving God and being at the service of our neighbours by contributing to the common good of society and nation-building," he said in his Easter message on Sunday (March 31).

       Poh shared that on Good Friday (March 29), he was invited by the Islamic Information Centre (IIC) here for a breaking-of-fast meal with Muslims and leaders from other faiths including Bahai, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikh and Taoism.

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       He said it was a time of friendship and building up mutual understanding and respect for one another.

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       "As the buka puasa was on the evening of Good Friday, I shared that Catholics also fasted and abstained from meat that day.

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       "I had also fasted in solidarity with Muslims that whole day. As I was keeping abstinence, IIC CEO Dr Asmah Othman kindly indicated to me the non-meat dishes on the table.

       "Together various faiths shared the meal as friends," he said.

       Poh, who is also Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia president, wished Christians the joy of Easter.

       To friends from other faiths, he expressed goodwill, peace and hope as everyone worked together to make Malaysia a better place.