King Sihamoni Honors Pope John Paul II, Catholics Pray For New Pope

Posted: 12th April 2005

King N. Sihamoni offers a letter of condolences to Msgr. Emile Destombes during ceremony

PHNOM PENH (UCAN)-- Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni and Buddhist leaders have taken part in a official memorial service for Pope John Paul II, and Catholics in the mainly Buddhist country continue to pray that the new pope will take an active interest in developing the Church in Asia.

On April 7, the eve of the pope's funeral, the Catholic Church in Cambodia hosted a memorial service attended by King Sihamoni, the patriarchs of the two main Buddhist sects in the country, government officials, diplomats and more than 500 Catholics, other Christians and Buddhists. The service took place at St. Joseph's Parish in Phnom Penh.

King Sihamoni expressed appreciation for the pope and solidarity with the country's 30,000 Catholics on the death of the Holy Father. At the end of the service, Bishop Emile Destombes, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, thanked the king on behalf of the Catholic Church. "Your presence among us today is an honor and true sign of friendship and respect," the Paris Foreign Missions bishop said.

Venerable Bour Kry, patriarch of the Dhammayutika Buddhist sect that the royal family favors, told UCA News, "It is my deep wish that Pope John Paul rejoins his God-Father and continues to help eternally the entire world."

Venerable Doung Phang, a delegate of the Patriarch of the Mohanikaya Buddhist sect, expressed hope that the late pope "rediscovers a new life after the 27 years of his admirable pontificate."

According to Church sources, the memorial service demonstrated the respect and appreciation of Cambodia's people and its civil and religious leaders for Catholics, who represent less than 1 percent of the country's 12 million people. More than 90 percent of Cambodians are Buddhists.

In a message sent earlier to the apostolic nuncio in Cambodia, King Sihamoni spoke of common values shared by Buddhism and Christianity. "There is not one fight, among all those courageously done by the Holy Father, that has not been widely supported by the highest religious authorities of Cambodia," he said.

He also wrote that "in the field of daily life, the moral values advocated by our big religions, (such as) the teaching of the Christ, (are) as the one (taught by) the Buddha." The same applies, he added, regarding "respect for life, the selfish accumulation of wealth by a minority, unjustified wars or necessary dialogue between disciples of all religions." He also said: "There are so many common places between Buddhists and Christians. We have for the Holy Father such immense recognition for having these values that we have in common a universal resonance never known before."

The 84-year-old pontiff died on April 2, and Church law mandates that an election for a successor take place no later than 20 days after a pope dies. To that end, 117 cardinals from all over the world are preparing to open their conclave on April 18 at the Vatican, though illness may keep some away.

After Pope John Paul was buried on April 8 at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, leaders of the three Catholic jurisdictions in Cambodia asked the country's 30,000 Catholics to remain prayerful and ask the Holy Spirit to bring forth a new pope who will also be an inspiration for their country.

A pastoral youth leader in Battambang prefecture, based 250 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, told UCA News: "I would like the new pope to be very interested in the Asian continent and help solve problems of injustice and poverty in many of our countries, especially Cambodia." He added, "And we need a pope who truly loves the youth as the last pope did."

Along with Battambang prefecture, Kompong Cham prefecture, 75 kilometers northeast of the capital, and the Phnom Penh vicariate comprise the three Catholic Church jurisdictions in the country.

As the cardinals gather to elect a new pope, all priests in Cambodia will assemble for a retreat. "It will be a great opportunity for us to deeply feel we are part of a universal Church," Bishop Destombes told UCA News.

Asked what kind of pope the Church in Cambodia is expecting, he said the local Church wants the new pope to be concerned about interreligious dialogue. "Asia is the continent of the great religions and this is an urgent need we have," Bishop Destombes pointed out.

"Another important characteristic that can help us a lot here in Cambodia," the bishop added, "is to have a pope with a deep understanding of poverty and a strong interest in the serious, growing problem of poverty all over the world. In Cambodia, the Church must continue making efforts to show solidarity with the great majority of Cambodians who live below the poverty line."

The Church in Cambodia was destroyed in the political strife of the 1970s, which left few Catholics and no native clergy or Religious remaining. Several local priests and foreign missioners, especially French, were forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

As many as 2 million Cambodians are believed to have died from forced labor, starvation, lack of medical attention and extrajudicial killings during the rule of the radical communist Khmer Rouge from 1975 until Vietnamese troops forced it from power in 1979.

Soon after the Vietnamese ousted the Khmer Rouge, the first Catholic missioners began returning to Cambodia. The Church in Cambodia, along with other religions, has been experiencing a revival during the past 15 years.

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Article Source: UCAN NEWS and C.S.C. Catholic Social Communications - Catholic Church Cambodia