Paul Tep Im Sotha

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
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ProvinceBattambang
SeeBattambang
In office1968—1975
SuccessorEnrique Figaredo Alvargonzalez
Orders
Ordination1959
ConsecrationSeptember 26, 1968
Personal details
Born1934
DiedMay 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
  1. Descallar, Blas; Ange, Mary. "Msgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha" (PDF). Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. "Cambodian Catholics look for martyrs among genocide victims". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Phnom Penh. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  4. Osborne, Milton (1979). Before Kampuchea: Preludes to Tragedy. George Allen & Unwin. p. 69. ISBN 0-04-950021-X. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  5. "Young women take on leading roles in Church ministries". UCA News. Union of Catholic Asian News Limited. August 27, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  6. "Msgr. Tep Im Student Center". Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
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