Cornelius Sim

Cornelius Sim (born 16 September 1951) is a prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the Vicar Apostolic of Brunei since 2004.[2]

His Eminence Cornelius Sim
Cardinal Apostolic Vicar of Brunei Darussalam
See	Brunei Darussalam
Installed	21 January 2005
Other posts	Vice-President of the Episcopal Conferences of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (2017-) Cardinal-Priest of San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo (2020-)
Orders
Ordination	26 November 1989 by Lee Kok Hin
Consecration	21 January 2005 by Salvatore Pennacchio
Created cardinal	28 November 2020 by Pope Francis
Rank	Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth name	Cornelius Sim
Born	16 September 1951 Seria, Belait, Brunei
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post	Apostolic Prefect of Brunei Darussalam (1997-2004) Titular Bishop of Putia in Numidia (2004-20) General Secretary of the Episcopal Conferences of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (2015-17)
Alma mater	Dundee University Franciscan University of Steubenville[1]
Motto	Duc in Altum
Coat of arms

Styles of Cornelius Sim
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal

Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 28 November 2020, making him the first cardinal from Brunei.[3]

Biography

Cornelius Sim was born in Seria, Brunei, on 16 September 1951. He is of Chinese and Dusunic descent.[4] He was raised a Catholic and educated in Catholic schools, but practiced his faith less as he reached adulthood.[5]

He earned an engineering degree from Dundee University, Scotland,[6] After this he stopped practicing his faith.[7] He worked in utilities operations of Brunei LNG from 1978 to 1985.[8] Returning to Brunei, he rediscovered his Catholic faith and grew close to a charismatic group that downplayed doctrine and emphasized a person relationship with God.[5] He earned a master's degree in theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1988.[6][9] He returned to Brunei in 1988 and served as an administrator in St John's Church in Kuala Belait until his ordination as deacon on 28 May 1989.[9]

He was ordained to the priesthood on 26 November 1989.[6] He was the country's first local priest.[9]

He became vicar general of Brunei in 1995.[6] On 21 November 1997, Pope John Paul II named him Prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei.[10] He was installed there on 22 February 1998.

On 20 October 2004, Pope John Paul elevated the Prefecture of Brunei to the status of a Vicariate and appointed Sim the first Vicar Apostolic of Brunei and Titular Bishop of Putia in Numidia.[6] He received his episcopal consecration on 21 January 2005 from Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan.[11][12] The co-consecrators were John Ha Tiong Hock, Archbishop of Kuching and Anthony Lee Kok Hin, Bishop of Miri.[13]

On 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced he would raise him to the rank of cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 November 2020.[14] Sim continues to credit his charismatic roots as the basis of his faith, allowing that the movement has been appropriately "domesticated, maybe for good reason".[5] He did not attend the consistory in Rome because of travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] He expects to receive the symbols of his new rank when the new Apostolic Delegate to Brunei, Archbishop Wojciech Załuski, can travel and take up his post.[5] At that consistory, Pope France made him Cardinal-Priest of San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo.[16] On 16 December he was named a member of the Congregation for the Clergy.[17]

See also

• Cardinals created by Pope Francis

References

1. "Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam". The Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
2. "Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam". Union of Catholic Asian News. 28 March 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
3. "Brunei's first native Bishop will also become its first Cardinal". Rome Reports. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
4. Chin, Ung-Ho (2000), The Chinese of South-East Asia, London: Minority Rights Group International, ISBN 978-1-897693-28-5
5. Allen, Elise Ann (16 November 2020). "Brunei cardinal says he was 'hijacked' into priesthood after saying, 'Oh, hell no!'". Crux. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
6. "Rinunce e Nomine, 20.10.2004" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 20 October 2004. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
7. Church lives in smaller countries, says cardinal-elect of Brunei
8. http://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelius-sim-58680454
9. "FIRST LOCAL PRIEST ORDAINED IN BRUNEI BY BISHOP LEE OF MIRI DIOCESE". Union of Catholic Asian News. 8 December 1989. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
10. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). XC. 1998. p. 173. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
11. "Historic moment for Church in Brunei as first bishop is ordained". Asianews.it. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
12. "Bishop Cornelius Sim". Retrieved 4 August 2019.
13. "Historic Moment For Church In Brunei As First Bishop Is Ordained". UCA News. 8 February 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
14. O'Connell, Gerard (25 October 2020). "Pope Francis names 13 new cardinals, including Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington D.C." America. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
15. Arocho Esteves, Junno (11 November 2020). "Cardinals-designate facing quarantine, trip cancellations due to pandemic". Crux. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
16. "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli, 28.11.2020". Holy See Press Office (in Italian). 28 November 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
17. "Resignations and Appointments, 16.12.2020" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.

External links

• "Sim Card. Cornelius". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020.
• Official website of the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam