AKP Phnom Penh, May 29, 2025 --

The 8th Buddhist-Christian Colloquium on the theme “Working Together for Peace through Reconciliation and Resilience,” presided over by H.E. Chay Borin, Minister of Cults and Religion, was successfully concluded. 
The three-day event, from May 27-29, 2025, was held by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, in collaboration with Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University and the Bishops' Conference of Cambodia with the participation of 150 Buddhist and Christian participants from Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, and the Holy See along with two representatives from the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. 

The colloquium was a testimony to the shared desire for peace and mutual understanding as the participants reflected the sacred texts, spiritual teachings, and lived experiences of healing and hope for a world fractured by violence, injustice, and exploitation, according to a press release. 

Over these days, it pointed out, all participants prayed, visited one another's places of worship, studied and dialogued in a spirit of mutual respect and friendship. 

The conversations were marked by deep listening and the discovery of shared wisdom: both traditions call for the transformation of hearts and societies through compassion and truth, the source added. 

All participants said the reconciliation is not the erasure of memory but a courageous process of truth-telling, healing, and the restoration of relationships; while resilience is nurtured by inner strength, rooted in faith and sustained by communities that uphold the dignity of every person. 

At the same time, they also expressed their commitment to build peace and addressing the deeper causes of conflict-poverty, environmental degradation, social injustice, and the denial of human rights.

By Heng Panha