PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat appears to be on a mission in Penang to mend ties with his Pakatan Rakyat allies and the Christian community, especially after much controversy over the use of the word 'Allah' in Malay Bibles.

After a surprise visit to DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh's home yesterday at the height of the Thaipusam celebration where he celebrated his 82nd birthday, Nik Aziz held another rare meeting with the Bishop of the Penang Diocese, Sebastian Francis.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Penang bishop Sebastian Francis cake 2 Social activist Anil Netto, who was present at the meeting held at the Kelantan Menteri Besar's hotel suite, said Nik Aziz ( left in pic ) presented a cake to the Bishop as a "gesture of good will".

"The Bishop of the Penang Diocese covers Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Perak and Kelantan," said Netto, who is treasurer for Aliran, a local social reform movement.

"After being told that the Penang Diocese covers Kelantan, Nik Aziz invited the Bishop to visit his residence in Kota Baru," Netto added.

"Nik Aziz had to cancel another appointment to meet Sebastian at short notice, but the later told him that he will pray for his health," he noted, adding that the veteran leader looked slightly frail at the time.

Wasted energy on religious controversies

Netto - who highlighted further details of the meeting in his blog - said Nik Aziz expressed regret that controversies have been created over religious matters.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Penang bishop Sebastian Francis He added that the Bishop ( right in pic ) had concurred, saying that "wasted energy could be better spent looking for missing children, for instance."

The meeting came hot on the heels of a purported Bible-burning fest by an anonymous group dubbed as "Anti-Malay Bible" which failed to take place in Butterworth yesterday.

The controversy erupted following an incident where Bibles were said to have been distributed to Malay students outside a school in Jelutong.

Following this, Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali called for bibles with Malay or Jawi script to be burned, although he denied that he had intended to hurt the feelings of Christians.

‘Making history' in Penang visit

Meanwhile, Nik Aziz had a tight schedule yesterday, which also included laying the foundation stones for a minaret at a heritage mosque in Batu Uban.

According to PKR's Batu Uban assemblyperson S Raveentharan, who helped organised Nik Aziz's visit to Karpal's home, the former's visit "made history" in Penang.

"We made history again when Nik Aziz and Karpal spoke on the same stage in our ceramah (talk) in Batu Uban last night," added the state PKR vice-chairperson.

At the meeting with Sebastian, Nik Aziz was accompanied by Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Tasik Gelugor PAS information chief Abdul Rahman Kasim.

The Penang Bishop was also accompanied by Sister Marie Jeanne of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and a representative of the Penang Diocese's inter-religious dialogue.

In his Facebook page, Nik Aziz expressed satisfaction at his visit to meet the Christian leader.

" Alhamdullilah. The mission towards religious harmony in Penang has been successful.

"I thank YB Mujahid for arranging the visit," he added.