Nicholas Chia

Nicholas Gerald Chia Yeck Joo (simplified Chinese: 谢益裕; traditional Chinese: 謝益裕; pinyin: Xiè Yìyù; 8 April 1938 – 17 December 2024) was a Singaporean Roman Catholic prelate who was the third Archbishop of Singapore and the first Singapore-born clergyman to hold the office.

[3] When Archbishop Gregory Yong retired, Pope John Paul II appointed Chia to the office in May 2001 after a seven-month long selection process.

[2] On 18 October 2001, Chia would pledge S$100,000 (2001) (US$55,812.21) from the diocese to aid Afghan refugees displaced through the War in Afghanistan started in 2001 by United States in response to the September 11 attacks.

[20] On 2 May 2009, after a group of conservative Christian women took over the leadership of Association of Women for Action and Research, Chia instructed that the Catholic priests should not comment on the event as secular organisations should remain secular,[21] echoing the position stated by Anglican Archbishop John Chew and other religious leaders of Buddhist, Taoist, and Protestant bodies.

[22] In 2012, the Catholic Church would put a 30-year limit on all niche allocations in its columbaria due to the scarcity of land and space available.

[23] In the same year, it was reported that Chia had written two private letters to Function 8, a civic group supporting an event held in June by the latter against the Internal Security Act.

[25] On 31 December 2012, it was announced that Chia would be succeeded by William Goh, rector of the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary.

On 7 April 2018, Archbishop William Goh presided over a celebratory Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross to mark Chia's 80th Birthday.

[29] On 17 December 2024, the Archbishop's Communications Office announced that Chia was critically ill.[30] He died later that day, at St Theresa's Home, where he had been residing.