{"id":48716,"date":"2025-04-20 00:58:56","modified":"2025-04-20 00:58:56","title":"Cambodian Catholics Send Aid to Myanmar on Good Friday","excerpt":"","thumbnail":"https:\/\/catholiccambodia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bishop-Olivier-Schmitthaeusler-Apostolic-Vicar-of-Phnom-Penh_0.png","link":"https:\/\/catholiccambodia.org\/?p=48716&lang=en","content":"<div class=\"block block--layout-builder block--field-block:node:article:field-paragraphs\" data-layout-content-preview-placeholder-label=\"&quot;Paragraphs&quot; field\"><br\/><div class=\"block__content\"><br\/><div class=\"field field--name-field-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items\"><br\/><div class=\"field__item\"><br\/><div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default\"><br\/><div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\"><br\/><br\/><strong>On Good Friday, commemorating the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church in Cambodia extended a gesture of\u00a0solidarity by donating Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, on April 18.\u00a0<\/strong><br\/><br\/>The announcement came in a letter released by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, on behalf of Cambodia\u2019s three Catholic bishops.<br\/><br\/>The letter expressed deep compassion and unity with the people of\u00a0Myanmar, who\u00a0continue to suffer in the aftermath of a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck at the end of March, claiming over 3,000 lives and leaving thousands more in dire need.<br\/><br\/>Responding to an appeal made by Cardinal Bo through MERCI (Myanmar Emergency Relief and Church Initiative), the Catholic faithful in Cambodia held a special collection during Palm Sunday liturgies on April 13.<br\/><br\/>\u201cWe organized a special collection to express our tangible solidarity with your Church and people,\u201d Bishop Olivier wrote.<br\/><br\/>The initiative, which took place across all parishes in Cambodia, raised 90 million Cambodian riel\u2014equivalent to USD 22,500.<br\/><br\/>Bishop Olivier noted that this amount \u201csurpassed our expectations\u201d and would\u00a0go\u00a0toward Cardinal Bo\u2019s emergency relief efforts in Myanmar.<br\/><br\/>\u201cIn this Jubilee Year, as we journey together toward hope, we beseech our Almighty God through the power of the Holy\u00a0Cross to grant you and your people\u00a0consolation, courage, and unwavering faith to find light amidst the darkness,\u201d the letter added.<br\/><br\/>The Catholic Church in Cambodia consists of three jurisdictions: the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, and the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong Cham.<br\/><br\/>Together, they serve more than 20,000 Catholics\u00a0through\u00a0107 communities and\u00a0churches.<br\/><br\/>This act of charity stands as a profound testament to Christian solidarity in times of suffering and a living expression of the Good Friday message of sacrificial love.\u00a0<img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-48720\" style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\" src=\"https:\/\/catholiccambodia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/490761879_674135135215648_8366938425747757869_n-1-1080x580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"580\" \/><br\/><br\/><\/div><br\/><\/div><br\/><\/div><br\/><\/div><br\/><\/div><br\/><\/div>","categories":[{"id":158,"name":"Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh"},{"id":150,"name":"Daily News"}],"tags":[]}