Paul Tep Im Sotha Samath (Khmer: ទេព អ៊ីមសុត្ថា; 1934–May 1975)[1][2] was a Cambodian Roman Catholic priest and the first apostolic prefect of Battambang.[3] Ordained in 1959, he was the second native Cambodian to become a Catholic priest after Simon Chhem Yen.[1]
Paul Tep Im Sotha | |
|---|---|
| Apostolic Prefect of Battambang | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Battambang |
| See | Battambang |
| In office | 1968—1975 |
| Successor | Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzalez |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1959 |
| Consecration | September 26, 1968 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1934 |
| Died | May 1975 (aged 40–41) Battambang Province, Kampuchea |
Tep Im was raised by his mother to be a Catholic, and at a young age began to be sent to various schools abroad, such as in Vietnam, France, and Italy.[1] After his ordination at the Notre-Dame de Paris, Tep Im took further theological studies in Rome. However, growing concerns for his country's problems as well as a decisive conversation with American bishop Fulton Sheen would lead him to decide against a monastic life and return to Cambodia by August 1962.[1] Upon the establishment of the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, Tep Im was installed as its apostolic prefect on September 26, 1968, a position he remained in up to his death under the Khmer Rouge regime in early May 1975.[1]
Tep Im has been described by historian Milton Osborne as a priest with remarkable understanding of both the Catholic faith and Cambodian society.[4] A boarding house for secondary and tertiary-level students in Battambang was named after him.[5][6] In June 2015, the Catholic Church officially opened an inquiry into Tep Im's presumed martyrdom, alongside others such as Joseph Chhmar Salas who died during the Cambodian genocide.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Descallar, Blas; Ange, Mary. "Msgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha" (PDF). Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Anne Noeum Yok Tan; Pierre Chhum Somchay (1983). Una donna, una tragedia, la vita: storia di cristiani in Cambogia. Milan: Editoriale Jaca Book. p. 89. ISBN 88-16-30099-X.
- ^ a b "Cambodian Catholics look for martyrs among genocide victims". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Phnom Penh. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Osborne, Milton (1979). Before Kampuchea: Preludes to Tragedy. George Allen & Unwin. p. 69. ISBN 0-04-950021-X. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Young women take on leading roles in Church ministries". UCA News. Union of Catholic Asian News Limited. August 27, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Msgr. Tep Im Student Center". Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
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