Cambodia's Buddhist leadership has conferred a high honorary title on the Catholic bishop of Phnom Penh, recognizing decades of cooperation between Buddhist and Christian communities in a country where the Catholic Church remains a small minority.
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, received the title "Akka Mahaupasakabuddhasasanupatthambhakr," roughly translated as "Elder Great Lay Supporter and Upholder of the Buddha's Dispensation," during a ceremony on June 13, 2026, at Wat Botum Vatey in the Cambodian capital.
The title was conferred by Supreme Patriarch Nun Nget of Cambodia's Mohanikaya Buddhist order and presented at a ceremony presided over by Venerable Khim Sorn, the order's third deputy supreme patriarch.
The honor builds on a distinction Schmitthaeusler received in 2022, when Cambodia's Buddhist leadership named him a "Maha Upasaka," recognizing his support for Buddhist communities and his role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between Cambodia's Buddhist majority and its small Catholic minority.
At the time, Buddhist leaders cited joint development projects, educational initiatives, and efforts to strengthen social cohesion. The new title represents a higher level of recognition from the country's Buddhist establishment.
Speaking at the ceremony, Khim Sorn pointed to Cambodia's constitutional framework, which recognizes Buddhism as the state religion while protecting religious freedom.
He said the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia clearly stipulates that Buddhism is the state religion, but "it also guarantees complete freedom of religious belief without coercion" and promotes religious harmony, peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect among the different religions.
Buddhist leaders said the recognition reflected Schmitthaeusler's long involvement in educational, humanitarian, and community-development initiatives carried out in cooperation with Buddhist institutions.
For Schmitthaeusler, the award marked another chapter in a relationship that began more than two decades ago. "This is a profoundly meaningful event for me as a Catholic bishop," he said.
The French-born missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society traced that relationship to his years as a parish priest in Takeo province, where Catholics and Buddhists worked together on local development projects.
Among them was the construction of a road linking a Catholic community and a nearby pagoda, an initiative he said helped lay the groundwork for deeper cooperation.
Over the years, that collaboration expanded into education and social services. Schmitthaeusler noted that he supported the establishment of a primary school at Wat Ang Montrey, where students study Pali, Sanskrit, and other academic subjects.
The prelate also highlighted joint humanitarian efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and assistance provided to displaced families during recent tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
"Receiving the status of Akka Mahaupasakabuddhasasanupatthambhakr today is a moment of profound recognition of how the Catholic Church and Buddhism walk hand-in-hand for the common good of our people and our country," he said.
Schmitthaeusler also cited recent dialogue initiatives involving Buddhist and Christian leaders from Cambodia and across Asia focused on peacebuilding and reconciliation.
"We know that when Cambodia is full of peace, it radiates a positive influence to the rest of the world," he said. "This is a powerful signal: when religions journey together, the world will witness true peace," he added.
A small Church rebuilt after the Khmer Rouge
Theravada Buddhism is practiced by the vast majority of Cambodia's roughly 18 million people. The Catholic Church numbers about 20,000 faithful across one apostolic vicariate and two apostolic prefectures.
The Catholic Church was nearly wiped out during the Khmer Rouge era, when religious communities were persecuted and most church buildings were destroyed.
Since public religious life resumed in the early 1990s, the Catholic Church has gradually rebuilt through education, health care, social services, and pastoral ministry, becoming a small but visible presence in Cambodian society.
