Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom-Penh
de Phnom-Penh
Apostolic vicariate · Latin Church · Phnom-Penh, Cambodia
The Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh is a Latin-rite missionary jurisdiction covering southern Cambodia, erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of Cambodia on 30 August 1850 and renamed for Phnom Penh in 1924. Saint Joseph parish church in Phnom Penh serves as its principal church, with about 12,000 Catholics in 10 parishes (2022). Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, M.E.P., has been apostolic vicar since 1 October 2010, with Pierre Suon Hangly appointed coadjutor in 2025.
The see
- Rank
- Apostolic vicariate
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 3 December 1924
- Latin
- de Phnom-Penh
- Annuario code
- 001000435
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 12,000
- Population
- 6,400,000
- Catholic share
- 0.2%
- Priests
- 4
- Catholics per priest
- 3,000
- Extent
- 32,063 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 0.4
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Vicar Apostolic
- Olivier Schmitthaeusler, M.E.P.
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Saint Joseph Church, Phnom Penh stands in Phnom-Penh, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
History
Southern Cambodia, including Phnom Penh and other main urban areas such as Kep, Sihanoukville, Kandal, Takéo, Kampot, Kampong Speu and Koh Kong provinces, belongs to the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh (Khmer: សាវកជំនួសរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ), a territorial subdivision of the Catholic Church in Cambodia immediately subject to the Holy See. Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler M.E.P. has presided over it since 10 October 2010. The vicariate covers 32,063 km2 (12,380 sq mi); as of 2002, of the 4.4 million people living within its bounds, 13,250 were Catholics. It is organized into 7 pastoral centers served by 26 priests.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].