Untuk memenangi sokongan Vatican dalam kemelut tuntutan ke Sabah, Kesultanan Sulu dan Borneo Utara pada hari Isnin melawat ibu pejabat Pe...
Untuk memenangi sokongan Vatican dalam kemelut tuntutan ke Sabah, Kesultanan Sulu dan Borneo Utara pada hari Isnin melawat ibu pejabat Persidangan Biskop Katolik di Filipina (CBCP) untuk mengadakan pertemuan dengan para pemimpin Katolik.
Sultan, anaknya Puteri Jacel, Idjirani, dan Pastor Saycon "Boy", berharap lawatan mereka akan mengundang perhatian pemimpin CBCP dan Vatican di bawah Paus baru, Paus Francis.
"Ini isu Sabah kebimbangan geopolitik. Kami perlukan sokongan Vatican di sini," katanya.
Idjirani menambah bahawa kira-kira 25 peratus kepada 30 peratus daripada 3 juta orang di Sabah adalah Kristian.
"Sultan mahu memastikan CBCP dan Holy See bahawa dalam kes Sabah dikembalikan kepada Kesultanan Sulu, semua agama akan dihormati mengikut ajaran Islam," kata Idjirani.
Kiram dan rombongannya menyampaikan dokumen kepada CBCP yang menyokong tuntutan Sabah kesultanan.
Sulu Sultanate eyes Vatican support on Sabah standoff
Oil-rich island has 30 percent Christian populationBy By Edd K. Usman
Published: April 1, 2013
To win the Vatican’s support on the Sabah standoff, the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo on Monday visited the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for a meeting with the Catholic leaders.
The sultanate's spokesman, Abraham J. Idjirani, spoke highly of the CBCP whose "influence should not be neglected”, he said.
The sultan, her daughter Princess Jacel, Idjirani, and Pastor "Boy" Saycon, hope their visit would invite the attention of the CBCP leaders and, ultimately, the Vatican under the new pontiff, Pope Francis.
Idjirani, who also serves as the sultanate's secretary-general, said the sultan eyes the Vatican support in light of Pope Francis’ open friendliness towards Muslims.
"This Sabah issue concerns geopolitics. We need the Vatican’s support here,” he said.
Idjirani added that about 25 percent to 30 percent of the 3 million people in Sabah are Christian.
"The Sultan wants to assure the CBCP and the Holy See that in case Sabah is returned to the Sultanate of Sulu, all religions will be respected according to the teachings of Islam," said Idjirani.
He said Islam teaches Muslims to not belittle any religion because it is a "mortal sin says Allah (God).”
Kiram and his party presented documents to the CBCP that support the sultanate's Sabah claim.
