Cambodian Catholic Bishop Condemns Global Inaction, Warns Against “Silence” in the Face of Suffering

In a public letter addressed to all people, the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, has spoken strongly against the world’s “silence” amid ongoing wars, displacement, and human suffering.

The letter opens starkly with a single word, “Silent!” setting the tone for a reflection that links the Christian message of Christmas with contemporary global crises. Referring to the Nativity, the bishop recalls the Gospel scene: “At that time, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem, and they found Mary and Joseph, with the newborn baby lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). He explains that “God’s power lies in his fragility in a newborn child,” describing Christmas as “the overturning of humanity’s certainties.”

Released on January 7, 2026, the letter challenges a world that equates power with force. Bishop Schmitthaeusler writes that Almighty God “becomes man in a newborn, fragile and defenseless,” and that this same Jesus, an “innocent victim of human jealousy and hatred” will die on the cross, a symbol, he says, of “the violence and inhumanity of the human heart.”

The bishop names several conflict zones, “Ukraine, Gaza, Cambodia, Venezuela!” and questions whether global power has reverted to domination by the strongest. He asks whether centuries of philosophical and political reflection on democracy, freedom, and sovereignty can be erased “in the name of geopolitical interests,” while ordinary people become “the new martyrs of the twenty-first century.”

Turning specifically to Cambodia, he contrasts intense international debate over Venezuela with developments closer to home. “The world debates the legitimacy of this American intervention in Venezuela… but at the same time, Thai bulldozers are razing the homes of Cambodian civilians for miles,” he writes, adding that villages have been sealed off by “barbed wire and shipping containers.” His verdict is blunt: “The world is silent! The international institutions are silent! Silence!”

The bishop also laments the destruction of religious and cultural heritage. “Temples, sacred places par excellence for the veneration of the gods and the memory of humanity, have been reduced to dust,” he writes. “The world is silent!” Even where ceasefires exist, he adds, “hundreds of thousands of civilians and children remain in squalid camps. Silence from everyone!”

Drawing parallels between Scripture and the present, Bishop Schmitthaeusler recalls that “Jesus, the innocent one, remained silent before Pilate,” but insists that Cambodia today “wants its voice heard, demanding justice and reparation on the world stage.”

The letter distinguishes between contemplative silence and moral indifference. “Silence, to pray to God to enlighten us,” he writes, can be necessary, “but certainly not silence that allows the innocent to be mocked and scorned.”

Quoting Psalm 85, “Love and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other”  the bishop points to reconciliation as the ultimate goal. He also cites Pope Leo XIV, who said on January 1, 2026, that “Goodness is disarming,” linking this insight to the vulnerability of the Christ child.

The message concludes with a call to hope rooted in responsibility. Recalling the angels’ proclamation of “peace on earth,” the bishop writes that humanity can only discover God’s love by caring for the defenseless. He expresses the hope that “every community will become a ‘house of peace,’ where hostility is defused through dialogue, where justice is practiced, and forgiveness is cultivated.”

Cambodia has faced several Thai military incursions in recent months. Since July 2025, a 21-day war resulted in 30 civilian deaths and the displacement of 500,000 people. Although a ceasefire was signed on December 28, 2025, Thai forces continue to occupy 14 locations inside Cambodia, preventing refugees from returning home while bilateral negotiations remain pending.