The priorities listed by Benedict XVI to the Bishops of Laos and Cambodia include the training of the devotees, "especially of religious people and catechists", and the young, for whom he wishes "suitable pastoral care and appropriate training to the Christian marriage". So "the young may cope with social pressures and develop the human and spiritual qualities they need to make united and harmonious families. Therefore I hope the families may be centres of evangelisation". In the last part of his address, the Pope recalled that "the commitment of the Christian community to the weakest people is a specific sign of the genuineness of the faith. The social work carried out by the Church in your countries is appreciated by the population and by the Authorities". According to the Vatican Statistic Yearbook, Cambodian Catholics amount to 23 thousand (on a population of over 13 million), divided into three dioceses and 41 parishes. Bishops are two, priests are 17, the religious clergy is 43, missionaries are 28 and catechists are 298. The Cambodian Church runs 23 surgeries, hospitals and assistance centres.
