Clergy, religious, and laypeople were murdered during the Pol Pot regime in 1970-77
Newsdesk (24/06/2023 11:30, Gaudium Press) On June 17, more than 3,000 Catholics in Cambodia, including bishops, priests, and laypeople, gathered to participate in a Mass commemorating clergy, religious, and laypeople who were martyred during the Pol Pot regime in the 1970s. The event took place in Tang Kork District, Kampong Thom Province, located approximately 100 kilometres from the capital city of Phnom Penh.
The martyrs were honoured as the “fathers” of the present-day Catholic community in Cambodia. Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh and a missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP), referred to the martyrs’ testimony as a guiding light for the Catholic community. The Mass was attended by religious officials such as Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, the apostolic prefect of Battambang, Pierre Suon Hangly, the apostolic prefect of Kompong-Cham, as well as priests, nuns, and laypeople.
In 2015, the Cambodian Church initiated the diocesan phase of the beatification process for Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 34 other martyrs who were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime. These martyrs, including Bishop Salas, lost their lives between 1970 and 1977 when the Catholic Church faced persecution under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. Father Paul Roeung Chatsirey, the postulator of the beatification cause and the MEP Mission director in Laos and Cambodia, acknowledged the collaboration of various individuals in collecting testimonies and compiling evidence to be presented to the Holy See.
During Pol Pot’s repressive regime, religious practices were halted, and the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of approximately two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. Laypeople, catechists, and missionaries, including members of the MEP from Cambodia, Vietnam, and France, were among those killed.
Bishop Schmitthaeusler addressed the gathering, noting the significant improvements in the situation since the end of the Khmer Rouge atrocities. He highlighted the growth of the Church in Cambodia, with around 23,000 believers and several young congregations established by individuals who recently embraced the Christian faith. The bishop expressed hope for the future, emphasizing that the Lord continues to accompany them.
The commemorative event also featured artefacts from Bishop Salas’ time, which were preserved by Cambodian Catholics. These included the pectoral cross worn by Bishop Salas and the cot he used, both displayed at the site where he spent his final days. The golden pectoral cross, given to Bishop Salas on April 14, 1975, just days before the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror began, has been passed down to Bishop Schmitthaeusler.
Attendees expressed their gratitude for being able to participate in the memorial service. Prich Chun, a 52-year-old attendee, expressed his happiness at attending the event for the first time and thanked God for the opportunity to be present.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
