Cambodian Catholic Pilgrims Explore Malaysia’s Church History and Interreligious Harmony

Around 50 students and professors from Cambodia’s St. Justin School of Faith, led by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, undertook a four-day pilgrimage to the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and the Diocese of Penang in Malaysia from September 24 to 27, 2026, to deepen their faith and learn about interreligious harmony.

“We are not merely on a visit; we are on a pilgrimage,” Bishop Olivier said, explaining that the journey helped participants explore the history of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, which dates back centuries, as well as the experience of Christians living in a Muslim-majority nation.

He said Malaysia’s emphasis on religious harmony offered lessons for the Cambodian Church, particularly in building a community where people of different races and faiths live together in peace.

“This is also our Church’s mission: to become one family, which will be our source of strength once we return home,” Bishop Olivier said.

In Kuala Lumpur, the delegation visited the National Mosque of Malaysia on September 24 to learn about Islamic culture and appreciate the building’s architecture.

The following day, the pilgrims visited St. John’s Cathedral, where the Diocesan Commission for Human Development welcomed them and introduced them to the Catholic faith and efforts to promote interreligious harmony. The program included the recitation of the Holy Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and a Mass with local Catholics.

Archbishop Julian Leow of Kuala Lumpur hosted the group for dinner that evening. Cardinal Sebastian Francis of Penang also visited to greet and encourage the students.

“May all students become Catholics who fully proclaim the Gospel through their lives, always remaining connected to Jesus and putting what they have learned into practice,” Cardinal Francis said.

On September 26, the delegation traveled by bus to Penang Island, where they visited the Church of the Assumption, built in 1786 by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP), and College General, a theological seminary founded in 1808 through the initiative of MEP missionaries. The seminary has formed generations of priests, including men who became saints and martyrs. The day concluded with a thanksgiving service at the Shrine of St. Anne.

The next morning, the pilgrims attended Sunday Mass at the Minor Basilica of St. Anne, presided over by Bishop Olivier with local Catholics. Hymns and prayers were offered in Khmer, the language of Cambodia.

In his homily, Bishop Olivier urged the students, most of whom were recent converts, to make faith part of daily life rather than treat it as something preserved only in the past. He encouraged them to follow Malaysian Catholics’ example of living their faith in their families and society.

Recalling the Cambodian Church’s revival after the Pol Pot regime through the work of MEP missionaries, he said, “We must listen to one another, bear witness through our lives, and continue to proclaim the Gospel. The growth of the Church in Cambodia is an evident gift from God.”

Participant Sovanchanbopha Chea said the pilgrimage helped students connect classroom learning with experience and “strengthens our faith even more.” She added that proclaiming the Gospel requires joy and love for God and others.

Founded in 2011 by Bishop Olivier, St. Justin School of Faith offers a two-year program in theology, philosophy, Church history, moral teaching, liturgy and biblical studies to form Catholics and catechists for service to the Church and their communities.