KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S weekly Catholic newspaper has lost its publishing permit for next year amid a long-running dispute over its use of the word 'Allah', the editor said on Thursday.

The loss of The Herald's permit comes as it prepares for a High Court hearing on Dec 14 in a legal battle between the Catholic Church and the authorities over the use of the world 'Allah' in the paper's Malay-language section.

The government has argued that the word 'Allah' should be used only by Muslims, who dominate the population of Malaysia.

'It is very confusing. One letter in August said we have the licence to print (in 2010) and the next thing is we receive a letter in September saying the permit is not approved. Something is amiss,' The Herald's editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, told AFP.

Father Lawrence said the home ministry cancelled the new permit without any reason.

The Roman Catholic Church has waged a two-year legal battle with Malaysian authorities over the use of the word 'Allah'. The priest said he had met with home ministry officials last month to resolve the issue but declined to elaborate. -- AFP