By MPC Secretariat
Date: Sep 9 – 13, 2026
Location: Diocese of Sibu
Venue: Cathedral of Sacred Heart Sibu & Kingwood Hotel, Sibu
Inspiration for the Pastoral Thrust of MPC2026
The Malaysia Pastoral Convention 2026 (MPC2026) is not beginning from nothing. Its inspiration comes from the recent teaching of the Church and from the pastoral vision offered by the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, to the universal Church. The four areas of pastoral concern are drawn from five key texts of the late Pope’s teaching. They are Amoris Laetitia and Christus Vivit for Family, Evangelii Gaudium for the life and mission of the Church, Fratelli Tutti for Society, and Laudato Si’ for Ecology.
These documents help us recognise the areas where the Church today must pay particular attention. They are not areas randomly chosen by organisers. They arise from the pastoral priorities that the Church herself has identified for our time.
Teachings from a Pastor with a Shepherd’s Heart
In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis reminds the Church of her missionary identity. He writes, “I dream of a missionary option, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything” (EG 27). This vision helps us see the Church not as inward-looking, but as a community constantly sent out to bring the Gospel into the world.
In Amoris Laetitia, the Holy Father reflects on the importance of family life and pastoral care for families. He writes, “The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church” (AL 31). Together with Christus Vivit, which calls the Church to walk with young people and accompany them in faith, these teachings highlight how the life of families and the formation of young people remain central to the mission of the Church.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis broadens our horizon toward the wider human family. He writes, “It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women” (FT 8). We are called to build a society marked by fraternity, justice, and care for the most vulnerable.
Finally, Laudato Si’ calls the Church and the world to recognise our shared responsibility for creation. Pope Francis writes, “Everything is interconnected” (LS 91). Care for the environment is therefore not separate from faith, but part of our moral and spiritual responsibility.
A Vision Offering a Pastoral Framework for the Church in Malaysia
When these teachings are viewed together, a coherent pastoral vision emerges. The Church is called to strengthen family life, renew her missionary spirit, contribute to a just and humane society, and care for our common home. These four areas of Family, Church, Society, and Ecology, therefore, provide a helpful pastoral framework for reflection.
MPC2026 seeks to bring these concerns into the concrete context of Malaysia. Our Church lives within a unique social, cultural, and religious landscape. The pastoral questions we face must therefore be discerned within our own lived faith experiences.
Marked by Synodality
For this reason, the MPC2026 process adopts the synodal method encouraged by the universal Church. The tool used is called Conversation in the Spirit. This is not a debate or a parliamentary process. Rather, it is a way of listening prayerfully to one another, to the lived experience of the faithful, and to the movement of the Holy Spirit within the Church.
Through this process, participants share their experiences, listen carefully to others, and together discern what the Spirit may be inviting the Church in Malaysia to do. The aim is not simply to produce ideas, but to recognise pastoral directions that can help strengthen the life and mission of the Church.
From this listening process, pastoral pathways will emerge. These pathways are not final or definitive programmes. They are better understood as guiding lights that help orient the Church as she continues to grow in mission and service.
After MPC2026, each diocese will then reflect on how these pastoral pathways may be lived out within its own circumstances. In this way, MPC2026 does not impose uniform solutions but encourages each local Church to respond faithfully within its own pastoral reality.
Listening, Discerning, and Walking Together
In the end, MPC2026 is not only about documents or plans. It is about the Church in Malaysia listening together, discerning together, and walking forward together in mission. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may these pastoral pathways help strengthen family life, renew the missionary spirit of the Church, foster fraternity in society, and deepen our care for creation.
