Catholics file police report over communion host incident

Published Date: July 14, 2009

Two Catholics have filed a police report against an Islamic magazine which reported that two Muslims, after receiving Holy Communion during Mass, spat it out.

This picture in ‘Al-Islam’ magazine shows
the communion host that was allegedly spat out

The monthly “Al-Islam” magazine, in its May issue, carried the article “Al Islam´s investigation in church: Finding the truth behind youths´ apostasy.” The article says that a journalist and his friend, both supposedly Muslims, went into two Catholic churches in Kuala Lumpur and carried out these acts.

The Malay-language “Al Islam” is available at most news vendors around the majority-Muslim country.

Joachim Xavier and Sudhagaran Stanley from Penang filed the police report on July 8, saying they found the way that the two Muslims claimed they handled the Eucharist sacrilegious. According to the article, the two men received Holy Communion, later spat out the host, took a photo of it and published their story in “Al Islam.”

The article describes in detail how the two men went to two churches to investigate rumors that Muslim youths are being offered money to convert to Christianity. However, they did not find such conversions taking place.

“I have no objection to the Malay Muslim men visiting the church. But the issue is their intention of visiting a church to spy on its activities,” Xavier told UCA News.

The May issue of ‘Al-Islam’ magazine

Xavier and Stanley, in a joint press statement, said, “Entering these premises with the intention to spy, and worse, to violate the sanctity of the worship only serves to incite anger and hatred that could lead to potentially dangerous consequences that would tear this country apart.”

Bishop Antony Selvanayagam of Penang has urged Catholics not to respond to the events in a tit-for-tat manner. However, he noted that “Catholics cannot just keep quiet either,” and expressed hope that the Malaysian home ministry will take appropriate action.

Police said they have commenced investigations into the incident, according to media reports.

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