On May 14 and 17, Bishop Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos PDR), along with his delegation, attended the funeral ceremonies to pay their respects and offer a message of condolence on the occasion of the cremation of the Venerable Maha Bounma Simmaphom Maha Thera, former President of the Central Buddhist Fellowship of Lao PDR.
Simmaphom died on April 17, 2025, aged 92, after dedicating 72 years to the monkhood.
Bishop Hongsaphong and his delegation expressed deep respect and heartfelt gratitude for the late monk’s lifelong dedication and significant contributions to Buddhism in Laos.
The Catholic leader also signed a book of condolence, paying tribute to the Buddhist leader and thanking him for his service.
Like many in Southeast countries, the Catholic Church in Lao PDR makes concerted efforts to dialogue with people of other faiths and promote bridges of peace, fraternity, and solidarity.
In Lao PDR, Buddhism is the dominant religion, with approximately 66% of the population identifying as Buddhist. Many Tai groups, comprising about 30.7% of the population, practice the Tai folk religion, also known as Satsana Phi. Christians are 1.5% of the population, and other religions, like Islam and the Baha'i Faith, are 1.8%.
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.
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