Promoting Cambodian art and culture
Cambodia is very rich in art, traditions and culture. Since the war, the country has had to begin from scratch in areas such as agriculture, education and cultural heritage. The Church wants to integrate the Khmer culture into the Catholic traditions, not simply by giving the liturgy a Cambodian disguise, but with something deeper: Expresing the people's own way of experiencing God.
Facilitating inter-religious cooperation and dialogue
The Catholic Church is open to collaboration with others. It is vital that the Church encourages social dialogue at all levels. Khmer society now seeks understanding and acceptance of diversity. These needs should not only be faced in religious settings, but must have an impact on our daily lives. Therefore cooperation in the social field is a priority.
VISION&MISSION
The priority of the diocese is to restore life after the war in Cambodia, becoming witnesses of the force of love, mercy and compassion coming from God; stronger than any force of hatred or death. We do this by:
Sharing the faith and love of Jesus by serving the people
Cambodia's official religion is Theravada Buddhism. The Catholic Church deeply respects the local traditions and doesn't wants to change them. It aims to share and bring together the values which were lost during the war; uniting not only social work and development activities, but something deeper: to react responsibly, as Jesus did, to the liberating power of the Spirit in our lives.
Deepening and strengthening the faith in Catholic communities
During the war, 2 million Cambodians died and the Church's institutions were reduced to ashes. Today it's still recovering from these ashes. The faith never died, although it couldn't be manifested in public. The church is ready to strengthen the faith of Christians who seek to live in Cambodian society and proclaiming the faith of Jesus. Catholic communities aren't isolated within the Cambodian society but it is important to enable the Catholic community to be present and speak freely
Reconciliation and justice
The diocese promotes justice that enables the Cambodians to reconcile with themselves and with God. A delicate issue is seeking justice in the Pol Pot genocide and another is the integration of the Vietnamese communities in Cambodia.
Collaboration with civil society and other faiths is essential. Serving the poor according to their needs is the solution.