
Retreat: Friday

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The priests of Cambodia came together today at the Catholic center in Kampong Som on the southern coast for a week long retreat. Internet connections were almost non-existent so I have had trouble getting online. I think I have found a workaround so now I will be able to follow up with daily posts.
Above is Archbishop Julian Leow, the bishop of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who will be guiding our reflections through this week.
Social enterprises are businesses or commercial endeavors that differ from regular businesses in that the goal of the enterprise is not just to make money for the stockholders but to provide social assistance to some group like people with disabilities. In Phnom Penh the PPC Bank five years ago set up a social enterprise called Socials Coffee, a coffee shop right in their bank building, and they recruited, trained, and hired deaf people as employees.
Thank you, Socials Coffee and PPC Bank!
This week saw the arrival of Archbishop Peter Wells in Cambodia. He is the newly appointed nuncio (ambassador) from the Vatican to Cambodia. Yesterday he had a liturgy and dinner with lay and religious leaders of church organizations. He is from Tulsa, Oklahoma so he and I had a common bond.
Today the nuncio and his assistant, Bishop Daniel (L), met with all the priests of the diocese of Phnom Penh for discussion of his role and for answering questions we asked. It was off the record and was a useful forum for exploring issues like the Vatican’s role in seeking peace in Ukraine and Pope Francis’ seeking negotiations with Patriarch Kiril in Russia and other topics.