April 25, 2026
by Paolo Affatato A refreshing drizzle blanketed the joyful assembly of 1,200 faithful who on April 22nd in Thakhek, a town in central Laos, on the border with Thailand, in an event that is extraordinary for the small local Church: the gift of two new priests, Don Peter Gnantina Phiakeo and Don Philip Nouy Kamhou, both belonging to the congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. This is a rare and precious event in the South-East Asian nation where, out of a population of 7.5 million inhabitants, mostly Buddhist, there are 53,000 Catholics, divided into four apostolic vicariates, Vientiane, Savannakhet, Paksé and Luang Prabang. In 1975, with the advent of the communist government of the Pathet Lao, the missionaries were expelled and limitations were imposed on the local Church…
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