Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Phnom Penh (Agenzia Fides) – “On the occasion of today’s conclusion of the diocesan inquiry for the beatification and canonization process of the Cambodian martyrs Joseph Chhmar Salas and his eleven companions, we thank God for all the years of investigation, evaluation of testimonies and documents, which today culminated in a report of almost 3,000 pages. These 3,000 pages tell the story of Cambodia from 1970 to 1977; they are an incomparabile testimony of faith for the new generations of baptized Christians of today,” said the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, at the celebration marking the conclusion of the diocesan inquiry for the beatification of the Cambodian martyrs, which took place today, March 18, in the Cambodian capital.
The bishop recalled Pope Francis, who initiated the beatification process in the local church. The process officially began its diocesan phase on May 15, 2015, in Tangkok, a place dedicated to the memory of Cambodian martyrs. He also expressed special thanks to Bishop Yves Ramousse, “a companion to all these martyrs mentioned in our list, but also to all those who died in the silence and indifference of the world.” Bishop Yves Ramousse knew them all during his time as bishop from 1962 to 1975: “He ordained our priests and had the foresight to ask the Holy See, on the eve of the Khmer Rouge invasion of Phnom Penh, to appoint a Cambodian Apostolic Vicar: This is how Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas was appointed.”
“He loved them and prayed for them with all his heart,” Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler continued. “It was Bishop Yves who carefully compiled the list of his brothers and sisters who had chosen to stay until the end. There were 35 of them. After ten years of investigation and inquiry, we now present them to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints: 12 of them, Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas, and his 11 companions. They are priests, missionaries, religious, and lay people… they are the People of God and represent in a special way all those who suffered, who died praying the Lord to welcome them into his Kingdom.”
In this context, the bishop also quoted the words of Saint John Paul II: “These servants of God—bishops, priests, men and women religious, and lay people—martyrs of faith and love during the dark days of Cambodia (1970–1977) represent, as it were, a great fresco of Christian humanity […]. A fresco of the Gospel of the Beatitudes, lived to the point of shedding blood” (Ecumenical Commemoration of the Witnesses of the Faith in the 20th Century, May 7, 2000).
“I thank our postulator and his team, our legal representative, and our notaries for their presence and their work. I have presided over more than 20 sessions of the diocesan tribunal and heard many edifying testimonies,” affirmed the Apostolic Vicar.
The Cambodian Church also extends its special thanks to Father Vincent Chrétienne, who for three years led the Historical Commission, compiling all available documents worldwide concerning the martyrs' experiences of faith and preparing all the decrees and documents necessary for the official conclusion of the investigation.
The Vicar then sealed the boxes containing the documents, which will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican, and concluded: “We continue to pray that our martyrs will be offered to the universal Church as an invaluable gift and as a witness to the faith of the Cambodian Church in the world. ‘Speak of us in the world,’ said Bishop Salas before embarking on the path of exile and death. And we continue to do so fifty years later.”
Two copies of the documents from the diocesan inquiry into the life and reputation of the Servant of God martyrs, Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas, and his eleven companions—namely: Joseph Chhmar Salem and Marcel Truong Sang Samronh, diocesan priests; Pierre Rapin, priest of the Missionary Society of Paris (MEP); Charles Jean Badré, Benedictine monk; Damien Dang Ngocan, member of the Holy Family of Banam religious order; Jacqueline Kim Song and Lydie Non Savan, nuns of the Sisters of Providence of Portieux; and Joseph Sam Kimsan, Pierre Chhum Somchay, Joseph Thing, and Joseph Ross En, lay people—have been sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. (Agenzia Fides, 18/3/2026)
