Catholic and Buddhist delegations to hold 8th Colloquium in Cambodia
A delegation of Thai Buddhists met with the late Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot in the Vatican on June 15, 2023 (Vatican Media)
CAMBODIA: The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, together with Buddhist universities and monasteries in Cambodia and the Bishops' Conference of Cambodia, will host the Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Phnom Penh on May 27-29, 2025.
According to a comunique from the Holy See Press Office, the event's theme is: 'Buddhists and Christians Working Together for Peace through Reconciliation and Resilience.'
Around 150 Christian and Buddhist participants from across Asia and elsewhere will meet in the Cambodian capital city to 'reflect, dialogue, and collaborate on promoting peace in our time.'
Representatives will hail from 16 countries and the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).
'In a world ravaged by conflict and violence,' noted the comunique, 'this colloquium is a timely reminder of the power of religion not only to prevent violence but also to foster healing, reconciliation, and resilience.'
The colloquium seeks to continue a tradition of 'fostering mutual understanding and strengthening cooperation between Buddhists and Christians in the service of peace.'
'Held in a land marked by the legacy of His Holiness Maha Ghosananda, this international gathering will explore how sacred texts, spiritual teachings, and lived experiences can offer healing and hope,' concluded the comunique.
The 7th Buddhist-Christian Colloquium took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 13-16, 2023, and focused on finding common actions to 'heal the wounds of humanity and the planet.'--Vatican News
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We travelled from the land of the martyrs, where as Christians we don't know what our future will be, to the city of the martyrs. We came here with a number of different families. I have 45 with me, of all ages, including youth, adults, the elderly. And we came with hope, because we come from a Church that sometimes feels isolated, but we know that the Popes have never forgotten about us in their homilies and in their words, and all of them have been praying for us, from the invasion in 2003 to the present day. And so we also came to say thank you, and to be in communion with the Church of Rome. We've seen pilgrims from all over the world here, and we're very happy to be a part of that.--Vatican News
