KUCHING: The Ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See, Datuk Westmoreland Edward Palon has received the Knight Grand Cross of The Order of Pope Pius IX.
According to news reports from local media, Westmoreland, a Bidayuh from Kampung Duras in Siburan, received the award during a ceremony on March 24 on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope Francis.
His Excellency Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute (Sostituto) of the Secretariat of State at the Vatican presented the award.
It is also reported that Westmoreland is among nine resident ambassadors who were conferred the award after they completed two years of accreditation at the Holy See.
The Order of Pope Pius IX, also referred to as the Pian Order, is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. Currently, it is the highest honour conferred by the Holy See.
The Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCPO) is commonly awarded to the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.
Westmoreland, born on July 12 1969, is a Christian and married with five children.
He was appointed as Diplomatic and Administrative Officer and assigned as Assistant Secretary (Western Europe) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1996 until he became the Assistant Secretary (Information Division) in MOFA from 1999 until 2000.
He then served as the Second Secretary at the High Commission of Malaysia in the Republic of Singapore from 2000 to 2004.
From 2004 to 2007, he was appointed as the First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York, United States of America, and then as the Principal Assistant Secretary (America) in MOFA from 2007 until 2010.
Westmoreland also served as Counselor at the Malaysian Embassy in Santiago, Chile from 2010 to 2013 and director at Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat in MOFA from 2013 to 2015.
He then served as the Consul General at Consulate General of Malaysia in Melbourne, Australia from 2015.
In 2019, he was appointed as the Ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See.
He is the second Malaysian Ambassador there after Tan Sri Bernard Dompok of Sabah who served from 2016 to 2018.
