CAMBODIA

CAMBODIA boarding the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam and Laos;

1. Total land area: 181, 040 square kilometers

2. Population:  13,363,421

3. Population growth: 1.8 %

4. Life expectancy: 58.41 years

5. Government: Constitutional monarchy

6. Religions: Buddhist 95 %, others 5%

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF CAMBODIA has 19,000 Catholics in 3 Apostolic Vicariates with 1 Bishop, 2 Apostolic Administrator and 1 retired Bishop. It has 52 religious priests and 4 brothers from 11 men Congregations, 83 Sisters from 13 Women Religious Congregations, 8 Lay Missionary Groups and 12 Catholic NGOs.

Only in 1990, the Catholic Communities were permitted by the government to worship freely. The Church now is young and lively and many works initiated by the Church will bear fruit only in the future. That set the ground for a spirit of hope.