Vicar Apostolic of Phnom-Penh
Olivier Schmitthaeusler, M.E.P., was born on June 26, 1970, in Strasbourg (France). His father is a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Strasbourg. After completing his primary and secondary education, he entered the Major Seminary and finished his philosophical and theological studies at the Catholic University of Strasbourg. From 1991 to 1994, he was in Japan for a collaborative project with St. Thomas University in Osaka. He was ordained a priest on June 28, 1998, and belongs to the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (Missions Étrangères de Paris). Following his ordination, he held the following positions: 1998–2002: pastoral service in the Kampot-Takeo area, Cambodia; 2003–2005: lecturer in Church History at the Major Seminary in Phnom Penh; from 2004: Director of the Diocesan Commission for Education; from 2007: Vicar General (Delegate Vicar) of Phnom Penh; from 2008: Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Cambodia, head of Youth and Vocation Ministry, and person in charge of rural development.