Message from Msgr. EMILE DESTOMBES, MEP

Posted: 5th April 2005

Msgr. Emile Destombes during mass celebration for Pope John Paul II in Saint Joseph's Church

PHNOM PENH (C.S.C.)--
We praise God, our Father and give Him thanks for the gift of the life and testimony of our beloved Holy Father, His Holiness John Paul II.

John Paul II was elected and consecrated as the Bishop of Rome and Pope of our Catholic Church more than 26 years ago. He has been a faithful “Servant of the servants of God”. His more than 100 trips all over the world led him to meet millions and millions of people bringing them the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of life that gives the world freedom, peace and justice and creates solidarity among peoples.

His Holiness was always worried and faithful to the human dignity of each person, based on the Faith of the Church in Jesus Christ, the Revelation of God the Father.

I had the joy to meet the Holy Father for the first time on the occasion of the Synod of Asian bishops in 1998. I remember my deep admiration for the Holy Father during that Synod, looking at him always very alert and taking attentive notes of all the speeches, reports, suggestions and conclusions presented in the different sessions. After the Synod His Holiness presented the conclusions of the Synod calling the attention on Asia as Jesus’ birth continent.

In February, 1999 I had a second opportunity to meet His Holiness on the occasion of the “Ad limina” visit of the Episcopal Conference Laos-Cambodia. During that visit all of us had the opportunity to share with the Pope the joys, difficulties, problems, worries and hopes of each Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. We realized and admired how well the Pope knew our two countries Cambodia and Laos. The Pope had received His Excellency Norodom Sihanoulk in the year 1985 in Rome. He remembered his meeting with a group of Cambodian refugees and his concern for the suffering and pain of the Cambodian people. In his trip to Thailand His Holiness went to visit the Cambodian refugee camps in the borders of Cambodia and Thailand. The Pope was anxious to know about the life of Cambodian people after the Pol Pot era and the way the country was being rebuilt after the tragedy.

Several times we, the bishops, were invited to share a meal with His Holiness and always the Pope used to ask questions about the internal situation in Cambodia, about the Church and its revival of the last years. Msgr. Ives Ramousse made a synthesis to the Pope about the way Msgr. Ramousse struggled to get out of Cambodia.

I can testify that our dear Pope John Paul II has always been a truly and faithful “Servant of the servants of God”.

May the Lord grant him the award He has promised to His faithful and attentive servants!

Emile Destombes, MEP

Article Source: CATHOLIC SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS (C.S.C.) - CAMBODIA