The Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia has criticised the authorities for not pressing charges against two Muslim journalists who took Holy Communion.
The two apparently put communion wafers in their mouths and then spat them out.
The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Murphy Pakiam, said the two men had desecrated the church, and the lack of charges appeared to legitimise their behaviour.
It is the latest in a series of incidents raising religious tensions in the Muslim-majority country.
The journalists said they had attended the church service to check reports of the illegal conversion of Muslims, but found no evidence of it.
While non-Catholics can attend Mass, the Church does not allow those who are not baptised to receive the communion wafer.
Ignorance?
The archbishop wants an apology from the journalists and from the magazine that published the story of their actions.
"The journalists have displayed utmost disrespect for the Catholic community when they admit receiving and spitting out the Holy Communion," he told a press conference.
He said the incident "does not augur well on inter-religious harmony and peace" in Malaysia.
The monthly Malay-language Al-Islam magazine indicated the men spat out the communion wafers because it took a photograph of them partially bitten.
Catholics believe the communion wafer is transformed into the body of Christ during the celebration of Mass.
The government's top lawyer, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, said the pair had not understood the significance of the wafer.
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2:57 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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