The Catholic Church in Cambodia marked the Feast of Christ the King with a national pilgrimage in Tangkok, where Church leaders commemorated the victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide.
Church leaders also called on Catholics to take a more active role in promoting peace amid renewed tensions along the Thai border.
The gathering drew pilgrims from across the country, according to the Vatican’s Fides News Agency. Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusle MEP, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, presided at the commemoration, joined by Bishop Pierre Suon Hang Ly, Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, and Jesuit Father Enrique Figaredo, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang.
“The Church was born from the blood of the martyrs. From the blood of the martyrs and the faith of Christians, the Church has risen again. Today, 50 years later, we commemorate our martyrs and our dead: two million of them,” Bishop Schmitthaeusle said.
The bishop recalled the message of Pope Leo XIV as a source of strength for the Cambodian Church. He said, “The first words of Pope Leo XIV are like a cry of hope that has become our own: ‘Peace be with you!’ Jesus’ words to his disciples the day after the Resurrection.”
“Hope,” he added, “is at the heart of our pilgrimage in this Jubilee Year. For 25 years, as pilgrims of hope, we have commemorated our martyrs, remembering all those who died during the dark years of the Pol Pot regime. Before the Cross of the Martyrs of Cambodia, we are here to reaffirm our faith and our hope.”
Bishop Schmitthaeusle also recalled the final witness of Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas, Father Raphael Salem, and Father François Chomraeun, who were killed during the Khmer Rouge years.
“Fifty years ago,” he said, “Bishop Salas, Father Salem, and Father Chomraeun were right here, just a few meters from us, where our beautiful rice paddies had been transformed into vast forced labor camps. There were no more schools, only scattered families; fear and death reigned.”
The bishop recalled that priests continued ministering in secrecy during the Khmer Rouge years, quietly celebrating the liturgy and reading Scripture even though such acts were banned and could have cost them their lives if discovered.
The bishop said this legacy continues to shape the Church today. “From the blood of our martyrs and the faith of Christians, the Church was able to rise again, and today she is here to praise God and proclaim her hope. This peace has a very sweet taste, dear brothers and sisters.”
Addressing recent border tensions with Thailand, Bishop Schmitthaeusle said Cambodia had been “deeply shaken” and urged Catholics to translate their hope into concrete action.
“Our hope must be translated into action,” he said. “Before the cross of the martyrs of Tangkok, I call upon our Church to be a peacemaker in deed and in truth.”
He invited the faithful to commit to “dialogue, respect for one’s neighbor, mutual listening and understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation” and to reject “every logic of revenge and violence.”
“This appeal is directed to everyone: to families, in schools, at work, in our parishes, in our social lives, and on social media,” he said.
“Peace is our hope, but it depends on our attitude: 50 years after the atrocities of the genocide, our society longs for peace. Our Church longs for peace.” He urged Catholics to be “truly peacemakers.”
Bishop Salas and dozens of other clergy, catechists, and lay Catholics were murdered between 1970 and 1977. Under the Pol Pot regime, religious practice was banned, and an estimated two million Cambodians died from 1975 to 1979.
The Khmer Rouge also killed missionaries and members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society from Cambodia, Vietnam, and France.
The Cambodian Church opened the diocesan phase of the beatification cause for Bishop Salas and 34 martyrs in 2015. Today, Cambodia’s Catholic community numbers about 23,000 people, with many young Cambodians continuing to request baptism.
