The Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Church in Cambodia has warned that violence, war, and the suffering of innocent civilians are worsening as the world and international institutions remain “silent.”
In a three-page letter addressed to all people, Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler criticized what he described as global inaction in the face of armed conflict and humanitarian crises.
The letter opens with a single word, “Silent?”, before turning to a reflection on Christmas and the Christian belief in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Schmitthaeusler wrote that Christmas challenges the belief that power belongs to the strong and that the lives of the weak have little value.
Instead, he said, God “became human, born as a weak and defenseless infant,” adding that this same Jesus “would later die in the most humiliating way on the cross” because of hatred and unjust power.
Published on his personal social media account, the letter explains that silence in the Bible can signify prayer, citing Scripture: “But Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
However, the church leader stressed that silence in today’s social and political realities is unacceptable. “What we are witnessing today should lead us to pray, not to remain silent!” he wrote.
Schmitthaeusler named Ukraine, Gaza, Cambodia, and Venezuela as countries suffering from war and humanitarian crises, and questioned prevailing assumptions about power, asking, “Does power truly belong to the strongest?”
He also criticized what he described as the destruction of democratic values and international law built over more than 2,500 years.
Referring specifically to Cambodia’s border areas, he wrote that while global attention is focused elsewhere, “Thai military machinery is bulldozing and destroying Cambodian people’s homes for kilometers.”
“The world is silent! International institutions are silent! Completely silent!” he added.
The letter also drew attention to the destruction of temples and shared human heritage, as well as the suffering of hundreds of thousands of civilians, including children, living in displacement camps in Cambodia despite a ceasefire. “What must never happen is silence!” he wrote.
While calling for silence as prayer to seek wisdom and enlightenment from God, Schmitthaeusler warned against silence in the face of injustice, saying it allows innocent people to be “trampled upon and despised” and leads to unequal valuing of human lives.
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, Apostolic Administrator of the Phnom Penh Vicariate, addresses a gathering in Cambodia, underscoring the Church’s concern for civilians affected by conflict and displacement. Photo credit: Catholic Church in Cambodia
