Cambodian Buddhist monks remember Pope Francis, await new pope
The longstanding friendship between Buddhism and the Catholic Church will continue in coming days, they say
May 08, 2025
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler of Phnom Penh and Buddhist monks offer prayers for Pope Francis in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on May 4. (Photo: RVA)
Top Buddhist monks in Cambodia paid tributes to Pope Francis, who died in Rome on April 21, and made good wishes for his successor, says a report.
Yon Seng Yeath, the highest representative of Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhipati Nun Nget, the Great Supreme Patriarch of the Kingdom of Cambodia, led a delegation of 42 Buddhist monks to offer prayers for the late Pope Francis at the Phnom Penh Apostolic Vicariate Pastoral Center on May 4, Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) reported.
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, welcomed the delegates and thanked them for the interfaith tribute to the late pontiff.
During his address, Yeath recalled the longstanding friendship between Buddhism and the Catholic Church, and the spiritual ties cultivated over the years by the late Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong and Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
He added that the cordial relationship between Buddhists and Christians will continue to flourish in the tenure of a new pope.
A letter of condolence for Francis on behalf of the Great Supreme Patriarch and the Buddhist community in Cambodia was presented at the meeting, RVA reported.
'We extend our deepest condolences to the entire Catholic community for the loss of the beloved Pope,' said Yeath, who serves as Rector of Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, Vice-President of the Cambodian Sangha Secretariat, and Vice-Head of the Phnom Penh Buddhist Governor.
'May His Holiness rest in peace in heaven with God,' he concluded.
'Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims — all should have the opportunity to journey together,' said Bishop Schmitthaeusler, a French missionary from Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP).
He recalled Francis' commitment to fostering interfaith harmony.
Since the week he died, the Catholic Church in the Phnom Penh Vicariate has been holding memorial prayers for Pope Francis attended by the Ministry of Cults and Religion, senior government officials, foreign diplomats, Islamic and Protestant leaders, Catholic NGOs, and parishioners from across the vicariate.
A total 133 eligible cardinals from across the world are currently participating in the centuries-old process to elect a new pope, known as a conclave, which began on May 7 in the Vatican's famed Sistine Chapel.--ucanews.com
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