French bishop led reincarnation of Cambodian Church after genocide
Exiled by the Khmer Rouge regime, Bishop Ramousse returned to Cambodia to rebuild the Church from its ashes
Khmer Rouge soldiers atop their US-made armored vehicles enter Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, the day Cambodia fell under the control of communist Khmer Rouge forces. (Photo: AFP)
The people and the Catholic Church in Cambodia were always close to the heart of Bishop Yves Georges Rene Ramousse throughout good and bad times, from serene peace to civil war and genocide.
The French bishop from the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP) pioneered the growth of the Cambodian Church, witnessed its collapse during the Khmer Rouge regime and rebuilt it literally from ruins.