Christianity in Cambodia

Most of the Cambodians are Buddhist while Islam, Hinduism and Christianity are also present. In the year 1660 the Roman Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity into Cambodia. It made little headroom among the Buddhists.

In the year 1972, there were more or less 20,000 Christians in Cambodia. Most of them were Roman Catholics. In 1970 and 1971 the Vietnamese return to Cambodia and before this incident took place there were as many as 62,000 Christians in Cambodia.

According to Vatican statistics, in Cambodia there were 120,000 Roman Catholic Church in the year 1953. Christianity was the second largest religion in Cambodia at that time. In April 1970 i.e. before repatriation, it was estimated that not less than fifty thousand Catholics were Vietnamese.

In 1972 numerous Catholics remained in Cambodia and most of them were Europeans. In 1923 A Christian and Missionary Alliance mission was set up in Cambodia and by the year 1962 the mission had convinced and converted not less than two thousand people.

After the constitution of the Khmer Republic in Cambodia, the activity of American Protestant missionary was increased. The activities were stronger among the Cham and other hill tribes. The 1962 census reported about two thousand Protestants in the country.

In 1982 it was reported by French geographer Jean Delvert that Cambodia is the abode of three Christian villages. But the location, size and type of the villages are unknown. But unfortunately it had been seen that in the year 1987 the Christian community has shrunk to just a couple of thousand members.

Reportedly twenty thousand Catholics are present in Cambodia and this is only 0.15% of the entire population. Three territorial jurisdictions are there, e.g. two Apostolic Prefectures and one Apostolic Vicariate.