WYD Delegates Meet Government Official, Receive Bishop's Blessing

Posted: 7th July 2008

PHNOM PENH (UCAN) -- Young Cambodian Catholics met a high government official and received blessings from their bishop the day before they departed for the 2008 World Youth Day (WYD) celebration in Sydney, Australia.

On July 2 about 30 youths and Father Leo Ochoa, leader of the Cambodia WYD delegation, visited Uch Borith, a secretary of state under the foreign affairs minister, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Father Ochoa told Borith the delegates to the July 15-20 international WYD celebration are representing millions of Cambodian youths. The youth delegates, the Salesian priest added, will be "ambassadors of peace" who will forge cooperative links with other youths from around the world.

The missioner added that the delegation wanted to visit Borith to seek his advice and words of wisdom from his experience in promoting peace and international cooperation.

The official advised the youth delegates to understand other cultures, build good relations and promote Khmer culture at the WYD events. He also suggested they invite youths of other countries to come to Cambodia for exchange programs to promote peace and intercultural understanding. He pointed out that Cambodians of different religions live in peace as brothers and sisters, and said the country has never had interreligious conflict.

A youth delegate, Our Savoeun, described the meeting with the foreign affairs secretary as a sign of good relations between the Catholic Church and the government. The 24-year-old woman told UCA News after the meeting that the youth delegates felt encouraged to share their life and cultural heritage to promote a culture of peace at the WYD celebration.

After the meeting with Borith, the youth delegates went to the bishop's house to have dinner with Bishop Emile Destombes, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, and receive his blessing.

The Paris Foreign Missions bishop told his visitors he has always supported Cambodian youths going abroad for international events. He described the WYD celebration as a good opportunity to "open your ears, eyes and hearts to share your lives and beliefs with other youths from over the world." He encouraged the delegates to learn from other young people in developing their own faith, while also helping those youths learn about the faith life of Cambodian Catholics.

About 50 Cambodian youths are joining the WYD celebration. The first group of 34 delegates departed on July 3 by bus for Bangkok, from where they will fly to Melbourne, Australia, for a week of pre-WYD cultural activities. The second group will depart in the second week of July.

Article Source: UCAN