Mission in ASIA
Vol. XVI
No. 7
AUGUST 2004
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Challenging
Journey
CAMBODIA: A CHURCH REAWAKENS
April 14, 1990, Easter: Fr. Emile Destombes, a French missionary and now bishop, celebrates the first public Eucharist in Phnom Penh since 1975. Fifteen years in which the Church, after the violent persecution triggered by the regime of Pol Pot, was deprived of freedom, leaders and freedom, and reduced almost to nothing.
Since 1990, the Church has experienced a decisive though slow reawakening. To begin with, five missionaries were allowed to return, then other laypeople and religious arrived in the guise of personnel of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Slowly, the Khmer Christian communities regrouped and began to be served first by a catechist and then also by a priest. Now they count 700 catechumens. New communities were also formed from those who embraced the faith while living in the refugee camps and then returned. At the end of 1997, the government formally recognized the Catholic Church.
Two communities?
Although the local Khmer Catholics are getting reorganized, the majority, that is two thirds of the 25.0000 Catholics in Cambodia, are still of Vietnamese origin. Vietnamese Catholics still continue to come and settle along the Mekong River and around Lake Tonle Sap, as they are mostly fishermen. Indeed, the main difficulty experienced today by the Church in Cambodia is the collaboration between the local Khmer community and the Vietnamese immigrants, who are generally more active.
In the past, missionaries would give more attention to the Vietnamese as they were more inclined to conversion. This antagonism, however, does not only affect the Church. It actually reflects the traditional antagonism that has characterized the relationship between the two ethnic groups. Usually, therefore, the Khmer and Vietnamese catholic community are rather separated, although the only language now allowed in the liturgy is Khmer.
Aspects of life
In each Christian community there are usually three commissions on which the life and action of the community depends. The first commission takes care of the liturgy and of the prayer life of the community. The second is in charge of catechesis and Christian formation. The third organizes the assistance to the poor and the sick in collaboration with Caritas and other organizations active in the health sector. The Maryknoll missionaries and the Sisters of Mother Teresa, for example, take care of the AIDS patients.
Unfortunately, priestly vocations are few. Fifty priests of several different nationalities are working in Cambodia, but only five are local and now there are only three seminarians and still with several years of formation ahead of them. The religious congregations are in the same situation. There is no rush of candidates to seminaries and religious houses. Yet this is more than understandable if we consider the tiny number of Catholics in the country.
Need for prayer
Particularly felt is the need of some communities of contemplative life. Before 1975 there were two contemplative communities: one of Benedictine monks and one of Carmelite sisters. The monks were all massacred by the Khmer Rouge; the sisters – all Vietnamese – narrowly escaped a similar tragedy and took refuge in Vietnam.
Cambodia is a country where monks are plentiful, but the Church is still waiting for a contemplative community willing to come. In the meantime, people only see the active aspect of the life of the Church, with several structures still funded from abroad.
Religions relate
The relationship with the other religions are cordial. Some time ago a National Council of Religions for Peace was established. The bishop of Phnom Penh and the apostolic prefects of Battambang and Kompong Cham regularly meet with the leaders of the two Buddhist denominations present in the country.
The contacts with other Christian denominations, instead, are more at the local level. In Konmpong Cham, for example, the fifteen Christian denominations meet once a month for a common prayer meeting. The Protestant communities were almost inexistent before 1975. Now instead they are developing rapidly as their catechumenate and the formation of their leaders requires a shorter time than in the Catholic Church.
Facing society
The Church in Cambodia knows that she is called also to an active role in Cambodian society. After the tragedies of the past, Cambodia is in search of a new national and cultural identity and its society needs formation based on honesty, generosity and respect for life. What comes from the outside is instinctively considered better than what originates locally. This, however, it is not always the case. An active role in the formation of the youth is therefore required, with attention to the young people both within the Church and in society at large.
In spite of her limited dimensions, the Church in Cambodia continues her awakening after the suffering and the persecution of the past. Great tasks await her but the determination of her pastoral agents and the enthusiasm of her communities are the sign of a faith capable of offering support in this challenging journey.<WM
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