Archbishop Luigi Bressan, 54, has been appointed as the Holy See´s first apostolic nuncio to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Vatican announced through its apostolic nunciature in Bangkok July 16.
"The Holy See looks forward to working with Cambodia in a spirit of understanding and for the welfare of the Cambodian nation," the Italian-born Vatican ambassador to Cambodia told UCA News after his appointment.
Cambodia´s Catholic community, decimated during the last two decades and reduced to about 25,000, is cooperating in rehabilitating the wartorn country with the support of volunteers from other nations.
Diplomatic relations with the Vatican were officially established March 25, after a visit to Phnom Penh by Monsignor Claudio Celli, Vatican undersecretary for relations with states.
The Cambodian government agreed to the appointment of Archbishop Bressan, concurrently nuncio to the Kingdom of Thailand.
In May 1992, Archbishop Alberto Tricarico, then pronuncio in Bangkok, visited Phnom Penh, the first visit by a Vatican diplomat since 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took power under Pol Pot.
The visit was informal, as there were then no diplomatic relations.
Following the visit, Prince (now King) Norodom Sihanouk recognized Paris Foreign Mission Bishop Yves Ramousse, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, as head of the Church in Cambodia.
The apostolic nunciature based in Bangkok deals with seven countries. Besides being nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia, Archbishop Bressan is nuncio to Singapore and apostolic delegate to Brunei, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar.
Archbishop Bressan served as pronuncio to Pakistan before coming to Bangkok last year.
The new secretary of the apostolic nunciature, Monsignor Jan Pawlowski, will arrive in September. The Polish diplomat´s last station was Congo, Africa.
The presentation of Archbishop Bressan´s credentials in Phnom Penh may take two to three months, according to the nunciature.
Relations between the Khmer (Cambodian) people and the Catholic Church began in the mid-16th century and developed a century later under the French.
The Holy See now maintains diplomatic relations with 153 countries.
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