Cover image via The Borneo Post
Could you imagine what it would be like meeting Pope Francis?
For Bernard Dompok, who have met not one or two but three popes in his lifetime — namely Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVII and Pope Francis, the current pope — "the experience is different yet somehow the same."
An experience, Bernand says, he experiences each time he has met a pope. "It has a calming effect, one which we could feel deep inside us, for days," he said.
It would suffice to say that for Catholics, meeting the Pope even once in their entire lifetime is like a dream come true.
However, in the case of Bernard Dompok, who is a former Federal Minister and former Sabah Chief Minister, it's like he is living THE dream as the first Malaysian ambassador to the Vatican City!
Malaysian Ambassador to the Holy See, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok receiving his credentials from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Shah at Istana Negara.
Image via Bernama
It's a significant role too, as Bernard himself said, his appointment as the ambassador to the Vatican City signals the beginning of a better understanding and relationship with the Holy See
Moreover, as Putatan member of Parliament Marcus Mojigoh has emphasised earlier in January in The Borneo Post, Dompok's appointment is something the Sabahans as a whole can be proud of. As it can be "viewed as a recognition, not only to Dompok but also the people of Sabah, in general, for their capability in leading the rest of Malaysia in dealing with an influential entity such as the Vatican."
