What’s closed and what’s not?
.
Some stores are open and some are closed in Phnom Penh. There’s no clear policy on closing and staying at home. Click here to see some examples.
Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
.
Some stores are open and some are closed in Phnom Penh. There’s no clear policy on closing and staying at home. Click here to see some examples.
This is by far the most unusual Easter Sunday I have ever experienced. Probably many others–maybe most others–can say the same thing. It’s an unprecedented time for us.
Two reflections for the day:
I find this video really inspiring! A sudden explosion of resolve and determination to defeat an evil. And that is what Easter is–an explosion of new life and a union with Jesus that enables us to overcome the darkness, the fears, the tragedy in our lives.
This has been the strangest Holy Week of my life, and that’s probably true for almost anyone who has participated in the Holy Week and Easter liturgies over the years. The picture above is Bishop Olivier lighting the paschal candle at the Easter Vigil service in a small village church where he was staying during Holy Week. All group participation in religious services is banned so this official diocesan ceremony was streamed on Facebook Live.
The healthcare system in Cambodia is not very robust. Medical professionals often lack extensive training and the general populace has little understanding of basic health and hygiene concepts. COVID-19 is established in the country (we have 119 confirmed infections as of today) but the idea of a virus and how it is transmitted is not well understood. Not knowing what a virus is, the presumption is that evil spirits are causing the disease and so families and villages set up scarecrow-like ting mongs to frighten away the evil spirits.