The appointment of a 42-year-old as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, has taken local Catholics by surprise.

The Papal appointment of Father John Wong Soo Kau was announced on June 21.

“I’m delighted for Father Wong but I never expected it to be him. He’s so young,” said a parishioner at the city’s Sacred Heart Cathedral.

“He’ll be an awesome, encouraging and youthful presence in the Church hierarchy,” said Cassie Perpetua, another parishioner who got to know him at a youth event eight years ago. “This is a positive change,” she added.

Other parishioners said they had expected a more senior priest to have been appointed.
Father Wong is currently vice-director at St. Peter’s College in Kuching, in neighboring Sarawak. The seminary serves both Sabah and Sarawak states.

Archbishop John Lee Yit Fung said in a circular to all his priests, “we congratulate the bishop-elect on his appointment. Let us pray for him that he will be filled with wisdom and courage in his new responsibilities.”

Archbishop Lee turns 77 this coming October and, in accordance with Church law, submitted his resignation upon reaching 75. A coadjutor bishop then automatically takes a retiring bishop’s place.

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