Joseph Chhmar Salas


Joseph Chhmar Salas was a prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh in Cambodia from 1975 to 1977, when he died of exhaustion in a forced work camp of the Khmer Rouge. He was among the first native Cambodians to become a Catholic priest and the first to become bishop.

Life

Salas was born in Phnom Penh on 21 October 1937 in Moutkrasal village along in the Mekong river. He was born into a Catholic family, He has a brother named Joseph Chhmar Salem who is also a catholic priest He studied a college seminary in Phnom Penh, after he continued his studies to a major seminary named "Issy les Moulineaux" in France in the year 1959 October For his formation as a priest, and was ordained in the year 1964 in Phnom penh becoming one of the first native Cambodians, alongside Simon Chhem Yen and Paul Tep Im Sotha, to become a Catholic priest. His first assignment was in the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. He returned to France for more studies.
In March 1975, he was returned to Cambodia urgently. on his return, he knew he would face the death. Even so, he still returned with courage. When he decided to return to his country from Paris, he told his friend that "I return to Cambodia, to die".
In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia. They founded a Communist state with the name of Democratic Kampuchea, where any religion was forbidden and destruction of religious sites was frequent. In May 1975, foreigners were expelled, including Catholic priests and religious, while natives were forced to work in rice fields and many of them were executed.
French Bishop Yves Ramousse was at the head of the Cambodian Church when the Khmer Rouge took power. Anticipating his expulsion from the country for being a foreigner,he called Salas back to Cambodia. On 14 April 1975, the Holy See appointed Salas as Coadjutor Bishop for the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh.
Bishop Ramousse was expelled from the country with many other foreign priests and religious. Most Cambodian priests and religious remained in the country, very few would survive.
In 1976, Bishop Ramousse resigned as head of the Cambodian Church. Salas became the head, in Kompong Thom. He died of exhaustion in September 1977 in the Taing Kork Pagoda.
On 1 May 2015, the Cambodian Catholic Church officially opened an inquiry into the presumed martyrdom of Joseph Chhmar Salas and another 33 persons who died during the time of the Khmer Rouge regime.