Pierre Sophal Tonlop Explained

Pierre Sophal Tonlop (km|ទម្លាប់ សុផល; born 1953)^[2] is a Cambodian Catholic priest best known as the first native of Cambodia to be ordained a priest after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979; he was ordained on 22 July 1995 and assigned to the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang.^{[3] [4]}

Tonlop was a resident of Canada from 1984 to 1990, during which he studied at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal (Major Seminary of Montreal).^{[1] [5]} From 1990 to 1993, he continued his studies in France.^[5] By 1994, after his ordination as a deacon, he volunteered to become a missionary in Cambodia for a return to his native country, where he later became a priest the year after.^[5]

As of 2012, he is Battambang's Vicar Delegate in charge of caring for Vietnamese Catholic communities in the country, alongside heading the Rice Bank of the Church.^{[2] [6]}

See also

• Dominique Nget Viney, one of the next four native Cambodians to become a priest in 2001 after Tonlop

Notes and References

1. Senechal. Vincent Yves. Priestly Formation in the Asian Contexts: Application of the Church's Teachings to the Church and the Society in Cambodia. Catholic Theology and Thought . Special . 145 . 3 July 2020.
2. Web site: Our Priests. Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. https://web.archive.org/web/20120622112804/http://www.battambangparish.org/our-priests.html. 22 June 2012. live.
3. News: Cambodians See First Religious Profession in 20 Years. 2 July 2020. UCA News. Union of Catholic Asian News Limited. 12 September 1996.
4. News: Ordination d'un évêque coadjuteur à Phnom Penh. 3 July 2020. Missions Éntrangères de Paris. 18 March 2010. French.
5. News: Trịnh. Tuấn Hoàng. Hội Bác Ái Phanxicô Với Linh Mục TONLOP SOPHAL: Cứu Sống Người Việt Nam Tha Hương Ơ Biển Hồ Campuchia. Việt Báo Daily News. Garden Grove, California. 3 July 2020. Vietnamese. 15 October 2007.
6. Web site: The Church in Cambodia. Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. https://web.archive.org/web/20110910031005/http://www.battambang.net/aboutus.html. 10 September 2011. live.