Pope urges Catholics in Laos, Cambodia to pay witness to their faith

Published: 2007-09-10

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI urged the Catholic minorities in Laos and Cambodia to pay authentic witness to their faith. In a Sept. 6 address to bishops from the two Southeast Asian nations, the pope said that although Laos and Cambodia are predominantly Buddhist "it is particularly important that Catholics manifest their own identity" while respecting the religious and cultural traditions of their neighbors. Jesus and his good news are for men and women of every time and place as they search for truth and the meaning of life, he said. The bishops from Laos and Cambodia met with the pope at the papal summer residence located south of Rome as part of their "ad limina" visits, made every five years to report on the status of their dioceses. The pope said that in announcing the Gospel everywhere "the church does not seek to impose itself," but instead the church is trying to "bear witness to its great respect for mankind and society."

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