On May 8, 2025, Thailand’s Supreme Buddhist Patriarch, Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana, welcomed a delegation from the Catholic Church at Wat Ratchabophit in Bangkok.
The delegation included Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand and Archbishop of Bangkok, along with Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, the Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand.
They visited to pay their respects on the occasion of Visakha Bucha Day. During the meeting, the Catholic leaders expressed their gratitude to the Supreme Patriarch for his kind message of condolence following the death of Pope Francis.
Francis died on April 21 at 88 after 12 years of papacy.
Visakha Bucha Day in Thailand is a significant Buddhist holiday commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, all of which are believed to have occurred on the same day. It's a day of reflection, meditation, and making merit through acts of generosity and good deeds.
Church leaders in Thailand have been promoting interreligious dialogue, especially between Christianity and Buddhism in Thailand.
Italian Father Daniele Mazza, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), has been a strong promoter of interfaith dialogue in Thailand.
In Thailand, Buddhism is the dominant religion, comprising over 92% of the population. Islam is the second largest religion, comprising about 5.4%, while Christianity makes up around 1.2%. Other religions, including animist, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, and Taoist, comprise the remaining 0.9%.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
