The Church in Cambodia and the Diocese of Battambang

A Brief History

In the middle of the 19th century, when the Kingdom of Cambodia was all but destroyed by war with the Thai, the Catholic communities almost disappeared. In 1850 the Holy See established the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, covering all the Kingdom of Cambodia and entrusted it to the care of the fathers of the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP). In 1866 King Norodom made the Khmer Catholics leave Ponhea Lu and move to the capital Phnom Penh, where they were given land in Prek Luong to build their church. From 1870 to 1955, three provinces of Lower Cambodia, namely Sadec, Chaudoc and Sok Trang, were included in the care of the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh.

During the French Protectorate, many Catholics came from Vietnam and settled down in Cambodia. In 1881 the Sisters of Providence of Portieux began their house in Phnom Penh, and in 1905 two Providence sisters went to Battambang. In 1952 a monastery of Benedictine monks from La Pierre-Qui-Vire, was built in Kep in Kampot province. In 1957 the first Cambodian priest was ordained.

Women in Kompong Kor

In 1968 the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh was divided into three: Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham and Battambang. In 1970 the "Sangkaha", or mutual aid organization, was established as the Church's instrument to assist the victims of war. It was later called Caritas Cambodia. Mgr. Yves Ramousse, appointed in the early sixties as Bishop of Phnom Penh, was given a Cambodian Bishop Coadjutor in April 1975, Mgr. Joseph Chhmar Sala. But the end of the Indo-Chinese wars came quickly. In that same month the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. All foreigners were soon expelled and the cities were emptied of people.

All Cambodian priests and other clergy, except a handful of Cambodian sisters who happened to be outside the country, and a great number of Khmer Catholics, lost their lives during the years of the genocide. All but three churches were completely destroyed. Bishop Tep Im was killed and Bishop Joseph Chhmar Sala died of hunger and fatigue in Tang Kork, a village to the north of Phnom Penh. The little hut in which he lived during his last days is kept today as a national shrine to honour the Cambodian martyrs. Fr. Jean Badre, a French national also lost his life as did many of those who were of Vietnamese origin.

At the end of the Khmer Rouge period, in 1979 and in the early eighties, a handful of Catholics were among the several hundred thousand who lived in the refugee settlements along the Thai border. The tiny communities grew, and during this time of exile, intense effort was made by the MEP fathers to translate the bible and liturgy in Khmer language.

In 1990, the Catholic communities were given the permission to worship freely in Cambodia, and Caritas Cambodia was re-established after an absence of 15 years. With the return of the refugees in the early 90s, the fragile communities were greatly strengthened. Bishop Yves Ramousse, who since 1983 had been responsible for the pastoral care of Cambodian communities dispersed around the world, officially returned in late 1992. A Cambodian priest, Pierre Tonlop Sophal, was ordained in 1995 and he is currently the Vicar General of Battambang Prefecture. A new bishop was named in 1997 for the Prefecture of Kompong Cham. On 2 July 2000, the Prefecture of Battambang was re-established with the appointment of Mgr. Enrique Figaredo SJ as its Apostolic Prefect, or Bishop. With the ordination to the priesthood in December 2001 of four Cambodians, the dream of building a truly Cambodian church is slowly being realized.

The Prefecture of Battambang

There is a record of a Jesuit named "Siesang" who resided in Battambang at the end of the 18th century, and who had a program to assist the poor, orphaned, elderly and the disabled. The missionaries paid to free slaves and bought rice fields for them to improve their lives. In the late 19th century the community in Battambang was principally Vietnamese. In 1905, two Sisters of Providence of Portieux went to Battambang and opened a crèche, an orphanage and a hospital. A church, which was built on this property was totally destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period.

Father Pierre Sophal

In 1968 Mgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha was named as the first Apostolic Prefect of Battambang. But the clouds of war were already gathering. The American bombing of Cambodia began at this time. Conflict continued until the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh in April 1975, and then began the genocide of the Cambodian people. Among the millions of victims was Mgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha, killed together with Fr. Jean Badre, a French Benedictine, in May 1975 in Bat Trang in the Mongolborei district of Banteay Meanchey Province.

With the return of the refugees in the early nineties, Catholic communities in the northwest slowly began to gather and worship together. Refugee members gave new life, since they had received intense formation during their exile in Thailand, principally with the great support and leadership of the MEP fathers. Although property rights were lost during the years of turbulence and exile, the Catholic church was able to buy back the same property and building which was formerly the hospital of the Providence sisters in Battambang. Very soon this became an important pastoral center for nurturing the small communities back to full life.

The appointment in 2000 of Mgr. Enrique Figaredo SJ as its Apostolic Prefect, or Bishop of Battambang, began a new era for the church there. Kike, as he is known, has worked since 1985 with Cambodian people, most particularly with the disabled. He first worked with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the refugee camps in Thailand, from 1985-88 and later on from 1993-2000 at Banteay Prieb or the "Center of the Dove", a centre for providing vocational training and income earning skills to the disabled. By means of this Centre, JRS aimed to be present inside Cambodia at the beginning of the repatriation process. Once the peace agreement was signed and a democratically government was in place, JRS was taken over by JSC (Jesuit Service Cambodia) with a strong presence in this Prefecture.

Br. Noel Oliver SJ, now working in Battambang, recalls the work of JRS in the Thai-Cambodia border camps:
"As I see it, our presence on the border has been so essential all these years. However, this venture in Cambodia could not have been begun, but for the foresight of those who were convinced that a presence in Cambodia was essential if we wanted to work for the reintegration of all Cambodians in a spirit of reconciliation."

Because of the Society's commitment to Cambodia, the Holy See asked the General of the Jesuits to undertake the leadership of the Catholic Church in Cambodia's northwest, requesting also that Kike Figaredo be offered to serve as the Apostolic Prefect of Battambang.

In December 2001 Fr. Nget Viney was one of the four Cambodians to be ordained. He is the second Cambodian priest currently assigned to the Prefecture of Battambang

Getting to know the Catholic communities

Church of Ta Pung

When Mgr. Figaredo arrived in Battambang, he was told that there were about 15 communities. In fact we have discovered 22 communities and in several places new communities are emerging thanks to individuals or families who come together to worship and build solidarity. Particularly impressive are the communities of returned refugees, who have little or no land or other material resources, yet they have a deep faith and readiness to help one another. Most communities include some returnees whose faith has been deepened during their period of exile, often thanks to their contact with the fathers of the Missions Etrangères de Paris who gave devoted attention to their pastoral care in those years.

We have discovered three ethnic Vietnamese communities in the "floating" villages on the Tonle Sap River, which are extremely poor but devout communities. They now have floating churches and regular opportunities for the sacraments. They live in ethnic enclaves and have little contact with Cambodian society. Often they may not have any official papers that identify them as Cambodians. Given the long-standing tensions between the Cambodian and Vietnamese peoples, the task of integrating them into the Church in Cambodia is a delicate one. To assist their integration, we have started literacy classes, for both adults and children of these communities, in both Cambodian and Vietnamese languages.

Community of Chomnaom

Land is a great need of the poor in this region, and thanks to the efforts of Bishop Yves Ramousse, who had overall responsibility for this diocese from 1992, some land was bought to assist several communities with agricultural production.
Practically all of the churches in the Prefecture had been destroyed in the Khmer Rouge days, so the communities are committed to building churches. Over the past few years we have been either buying houses that could be used as community centres or constructing churches, even provisional ones built from local materials. Fr. Tonlop Sophal helped to rebuild the communities and built an impressive church together with the community in Kompong Thom when he was parish priest there. Fr. Bernard Dupraz as the Vicar in Battambang during the 90s helped the community in Chomnaom to build a beautiful church and empowered the communities there.
The region is very much affected by its proximity to the border with Thailand.

Many families, especially poor rural families, have members working across the border. The people of the towns live a very different way of life from the agricultural communities, and the lives of the Catholic communities reflect these differences.
Most impressive of all is the number of children and young people in this Prefecture. It is clear that we must make a great effort so that young people will have the resources and capabilities to face the complex future of their beautiful country.