ASIA/THAILAND - National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies: "Let us disarm hearts and build bridges of reconciliation with Cambodia"

Bangkok (Fides News Agency) – "Our mission today is to disarm hearts. In communion with the Holy Father and our bishops, we pray to sow seeds of peace and reconciliation and eradicate hostility toward our Cambodian neighbors from Thai society. During Sunday Masses in Bangkok and throughout the country, special prayer intentions are read out to 'disarm hearts.' We do not want to give in to hatred; rather, we want to build bridges of reconciliation between Thailand and Cambodia." These are the words of Father Peter Piyachart Makornkhanp, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Thailand and parish priest of Holy Rosary Church in Bangkok, speaking to Fides.
The National Director of the PMS continued: "A ceasefire is now in effect in the border conflict with Cambodia, and it can represent a first step toward lasting and definitive peace. As Thai Catholics, we are called to be apostles of peace, and the faithful are working for reconciliation at all levels and in all parishes. Together with our bishops, Catholic communities throughout the country are praying for peace."
Father Peter Piyachart explained: "We preach, recalling the words of Pope Leo XIV: we long for a peace that is both unarmed and disarming. His words resound in our churches, together with his constant appeals for peace. We encourage the faithful to follow our Shepherd, the Holy Father, who shows us the way in the footsteps of Christ, who said: 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.'"
This desire, the National Director of the PMS noted, is echoed and shared by Catholic communities across the country, which are observing a special ‘Year of Synodality’ at the pastoral level in 2026. Throughout the year, the local Church is engaged in a series of gatherings based on the method of "conversations in the spirit." This path serves as preparation for the Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), to be held in Indonesia. The initiative draws inspiration from the ‘Bangkok Document’, published on the occasion of the FABC's 50th anniversary in 2023, and is closely linked to the global synodal process.
Father Piyachart explained the path of the Thai Catholic community, a small minority in a predominantly Buddhist country: "The Year of Synodality is built around three key priorities, each carrying a powerful message of fraternity and peace. The first is 'walking together,' which means overcoming clericalism and recognizing the equal dignity and shared responsibility of the laity, especially women and young people."
The second objective, he said, is "to live as Christians as leaven within the nation—that is, to embrace our status as a numerical minority (0.46 percent of Thailand's population) and to be active in society through charitable work and education, proclaiming the Gospel."
The third priority focuses on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. "In Thailand," he concluded, "leaders and all the baptized work together to build harmonious relationships with Buddhist monks and individuals, as well as with Muslim citizens, in order to promote peace, safeguard human dignity, support the development of the poor, and protect the environment." (PA) (Fides News Agency, 4/7/2026)

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