Sebastian Francis chosen as new bishop of Penang

Msgr Sebastian Francis has been selected as the new Roman Catholic Bishop of the Penang Diocese..

This was revealed by parish priests to congregations during Sunday Mass in at least two churches in the state.

The 61-year-old will replace the Rt Rev Antony Selvanayagam, who turns 77 this year having served as Bishop of Penang for almost 29 years. Under canon law, bishops are expected to submit their resignation upon reaching the age of 75, though usually the resignation is accepted only when a successor is appointed.

The Penang Diocese, established in 1955 along with the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, covers Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Kelantan.

Sebastian Francis will be the fifth Bishop of the Penang Diocese after Francis Chan (1955-1967), Gregory Yong (1967-1977), Soter Fernandez (1977-1983) and Selvanayagam (1983-2012).