Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium

Buddhists and Christians Working Together for Peace

through Reconciliation and Resilience

at the Catholic Pastoral Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

27-29 May 2025

Final Statement

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, in collaboration with Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University and the Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Cambodia, convened the Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Phnom Penh from 27-29 May 2025. The event was held under the theme  “Buddhists and Christians Working Together for Peace through Reconciliation and Resilience.”

Gathering approximately 150 Buddhist and Christian participants from Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, and the Holy See—along with two representatives from the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences—the Colloquium was a testimony to the shared desire for peace and mutual understanding. The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of the Minister of Cult and Religion of the Kingdom of Cambodia and other religious leaders in Cambodia.

As the event draws to its close, the participants want to express the following sentiments and resolutions:

We, the Buddhist and Christian participants, met in Phnom Penh—a land profoundly shaped by the compassionate witness of His Holiness Maha Ghosananda—to reflect on our sacred texts, spiritual teachings, and lived experiences as sources of healing and hope for a world fractured by violence, injustice, and exploitation.

During these days, we have prayed, visited one another’s places of worship, studied and encountered one another in a spirit of mutual respect and friendship. Our conversations were marked by attentive listening and the discovery of shared wisdom: both traditions call for the transformation of hearts and societies through compassion and truth.

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law”  ( Dhammapada 5).  Drawing from the Buddhist tradition, we are inspired by the practices of  Metta  (loving-kindness),  Karuna  (compassion), and mindful detachment—paths that cultivate inner peace and foster harmony within society. The life and witness of countless Buddhist practitioners, especially His Holiness Maha Ghosananda—revered as the “Gandhi of Cambodia”—remind us that even the most painful wounds of history can be transformed through compassion, wisdom, and spiritual resilience.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”  ( Matthew 5:9).  From the Christian tradition, we find strength in the Gospel call to forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus’ invitation to love one’s enemies and to respond to violence with mercy continues to guide Christian efforts toward peace and justice. The enduring witness of martyrs and peacemakers, who held fast to faith amid suffering and injustice, enriches our shared vision of a resilience grounded in hope and love.

Together, we affirm that:

● Reconciliation is not the erasure of memory but a courageous process of truth-telling, healing, and the restoration of relationships;

● Resilience is nurtured by inner strength, rooted in faith and sustained by communities that uphold the dignity of every person;

● Building peace requires addressing the deeper causes of conflict—poverty, environmental degradation, social injustice, and the denial of human rights;

● Our respective religious traditions offer profound ethical and spiritual resources to face today’s challenges with compassion, courage, and hope.

We recognize the essential role of education in forming new generations in the values of nonviolence, dialogue, and interreligious cooperation. We also affirm the responsibility of religious leaders and communities to embody reconciliation in practical ways: by standing with the suffering, promoting justice, and cultivating inner peace.

As we return to our homes and regions, we carry with us:

● A renewed commitment to walk together as friends and spiritual companions;

● A deepened appreciation for one another’s traditions and wisdom;

● A shared resolve to be instruments of peace, healing, and hope in a wounded world.

With heartfelt gratitude to the people of Cambodia—especially the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, Buddhist leaders, national authorities, and other organizers—for their generous hospitality, and in reverent memory of all who have suffered and continue to rise above adversity through resilience, we dedicate the fruits of this Colloquium to the flourishing of a world where peace is more than the absence of conflict. We envision peace as the active presence of love, justice, and enduring human solidarity.

We pledge to bring to life the insights and commitments born of these days through ongoing dialogue and concrete collaboration in our respective communities and regions.

Participants of the Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium

Phnom Penh, 29 May 2025

NOTIFICATION

SUNDAY OF PENTECOST

PAPAL CHAPEL

On 8 June 2025, Sunday of Pentecost, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Movements, Associations and new Communities, at 10.30 the Holy Father Leo XIV will preside over the Eucharistic Celebration on the parvis of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

The Patriarchs and Cardinals who wish to concelebrate are requested to be present by 10.00 in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian in the Basilica in order to put on their liturgical vestments, bringing with them their white damask mitre.

The Archbishops and Bishops who wish to concelebrate, bringing with them the corresponding ticket requested from this Office via the procedure indicated at https://biglietti.liturgiepontificie.va , should be present by 10.00 in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian in the Basilica in order to put on their liturgical vestments, bringing with them their amice, alb, cincture and simple white mitre.

The Presbyters who wish to concelebrate and the Deacons, bringing with them the corresponding ticket requested from this Office via the procedure indicated at https://biglietti.liturgiepontificie.va , should be present by 9.30 at the Braccio di Costantino in order to put on their liturgical vestments, bringing with them their amice, alb, cincture and red stole.

* * *

In accordance with the Motu Proprio “Pontificalis Domus”, the members of the Pontifical Chapel who wish to participate in the Eucharistic Celebration without concelebrating should bring the Notification requested by e-mail at [email protected] by 5 June. They are all requested to wear their own choral habit and to be present on the parvis of the Basilica by 9.30, in order to take the seat to be indicated to them by the Pontifical Masters of Ceremonies.

Vatican City, 30 May 2025

By mandate of the Holy Father

✠ Diego Ravelli Titular Archbishop of Recanati Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Mavelikara of the Syro-Malankara Church, India

The Synod of the Syro-Malankara Major Archepiscopal Church has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Mavelikara of the Syro-Malankars, India, presented by Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios (Kizhakkeveettil), and has elected Bishop Mathews Mar Polycarpos (Manakkarakavil) as bishop of Mavelikara, transferring him from the titular see of Canatha and the office of auxiliary bishop of the archeparchy of Trivandrum.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Mathews Mar Polycarpos (Manakkarakavil) was born on 10 November 1955. He received his formation at St. Aloysius Minor Seminary in Trivandrum and at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Vadavathoor, and was ordained a priest on 18 December 1982.

He studied in various universities in India, and at the Institut Catholique de Paris , and holds a doctorate in literature from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (2010). He has served as lecturer and head of Mar Ivanios College, parish priest in various communities and missions, and protosyncellus of the archeparchy of Trivandrum.

He was elected to the titular see of Canatha as auxiliary bishop of Trivandrum on 7 May 2022, and received episcopal ordination the following 15 July.

Resignation and appointment of auxiliary bishop of Newark, U.S.A.

Appointment of Office Head in the Dicastery for the Service of Charity

Appointment of Office Head in the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue

Appointment of expert in the Vatican Apostolic Archive

 

Resignation and appointment of auxiliary bishop of Newark, U.S.A.

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Newark, United States of America, presented by Bishop Gregory J. Studerus.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Pedro Bismarck Chau, of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Newark, United States of America, until now rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, as auxiliary bishop of the same metropolitan see, assigning him the titular see of Catrum.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Pedro Bismarck Chau was born on 18 July 1964 in Managua, Nicaragua. He attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, and went on to obtain a master’s degree in counselling from Seton Hall University.

He was ordained a priest for the metropolitan archdiocese of Newark on 24 May 2008.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Garfield (2008-2012), vocational director (2012-2016), head of university pastoral care at Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (2015-2020), parish priest of Saint John and of Saint Patricks’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark (2015-2020), and rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (since 2020).

 

Appointment of Office Head in the Dicastery for the Service of Charity

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Msgr. Romanus Mbena, until now nunciature counsellor in service at the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as office head in the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, with effect from 1 June 2025.

 

Appointment of Office Head in the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fr. Laurent Basanese, S.J., official of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, as office head in the same Curial institution, with effect from 1 June 2025.

 

Appointment of expert in the Vatican Apostolic Archive

The Holy Father has appointed Mr. Daniele Gallinella, engineer, head of the Information Technology Service of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, as expert in the same institution, with effect from 1 June 2025.

This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience:

- His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople;

- His Beatitude Ignatius Joseph III Yonan, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syriacs, Lebanon;

- His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches;

- Bishop Víctor Emiliano Villegas Suclupe, prelate of Chota, Peru;

- Archbishop Omar de Jesús Mejía Giraldo of Florencia, Colombia, president of the “Red Eclesial Panamazonica” (REPAM) and entourage;

- Members of the Popular Movement for Peace.