In a restaurant in Battambang, he joins both hands to say blessing before sharing a tortilla with his guests. The prayer, pronounced in Khmer, is full of joy. Then, when Monsignor Enrique Figaredo picks up his fork, he knows that the first bite of this… exotic dish will take the whole table on a journey. “I was born in Spain, in Gijón, and remain very attached to my native Asturias,” admits this Jesuit bishop who began his career, at the age of 25, in the refugee camps on the Thai border.
At this time, he has already had the enlightenment which allows him to finally live in harmony with the divine. “My father, who was always a model, was inhabited by God. I admired him all the more because my own faith seemed austere to me. I ended up understanding, during a stay at the ecumenical convent of Taizé, in the Paris region, that the Lord was simply offering me the chance to meet him through others.”
In 2000, the man everyone here calls Kike was called to lead the apostolic prefecture of Battambang. He is 41 years old. After years of war and dictatorship, the Cambodian Church must rebuild everything. The new bishop then deploys treasures of imagination to make his territory a place of mutual aid where everyone accomplishes their little miracle. This son of an industrialist, who grew up in a large family, “and in the goodwill of the clan that my father and his brothers formed in particular”, first founded the Arrupe center, in the name of the apostolic prefecture.
He then devoted himself to the all-out diversification of the mission. “In my youth, before committing to the Society of Jesus, I studied economics. It gives me some common sense but I prefer to act.” And it is clear that Kike Figaredo, who has a perfect command of Khmer and business plans, is certainly the most versatile missionary the Church has ever known.
Since his arrival in Cambodia and his action in favor of war veterans and polio victims, Kike has been nicknamed “the bishop of wheelchairs”. Thanks to him, three-wheeled seat factories emerged in Phnom Penh and Battambang. The model, called Mekong, is specially adapted to life in rural areas. And recently, during his last visit to the Vatican, the bishop offered one of these armchairs, now symbolic of the regained dignity of Cambodians, to Pope Francis.
A small town in itself, the Arrupe mission manages not only the Lonely Tree Café, whose churros would make a saint die, but also a hotel, an agricultural cooperative and even a textile factory. The mission also developed a microcredit system and deployed, over several dozen hectares, schools, a health center, a nursery, a boarding school, sports fields, etc.
To counteract poverty, its organizational chart takes shape like an octopus with powerful tentacles: Outreach is intended for the disabled and their families; KBO (Karuna Battambang Organization) provides education for the youngest; Obrum supports the education of children from remote countryside; Anatha fights against dropping out of school; Karuna offers learning of foreign languages and IT…
“The royal family has been interested in what we do for a long time. And Queen Sophie has always closely followed the situation in Cambodia”
In his office in Arrupe, Wen, 32, ensures that the center’s teachers receive the best possible training. With a crooner’s voice and caustic humor, he speaks in perfect English and displays a look as tender as it is mischievous when he recounts his first meeting with Kike Figaredo: “I was 8 years old when this guy came to pick me up in my village ! Of course, I was afraid of leaving my people, of following this man who had a big nose and a beard.” Disabled since birth, the young man is the second child Arrupe has taken care of and today a leading actor in keeping the wheels of the mission turning.
At his side, Elena, a Spanish volunteer, takes part in the management of learning projects. “A lot of young Spaniards come to help us,” explains Kike. We even receive support from Real Madrid and its president, Florentino Pérez, or even from the La Caixa foundation where Infanta Cristina of Spain works. The royal family has been interested in our work for a long time. And Queen Sophie has always closely followed the situation in Cambodia.” The bishop regularly visits his native land with traditional dancers from Arrupe. The tour, intended to spread Cambodian culture, is always inaugurated by a member of Casa Real.
In Battambang, in 2018, Juan Urdangarin, nephew of King Felipe VI, was one of the volunteers of the Apostolic Prefecture. In 2024, his sister Irene followed suit. Very close to the football field, kids surround Kike to greet him. Soon, all of Battambang will be here. Like every year, students, teachers, volunteers, priests, girls and boys from Arrupe will participate in the Bishop’s Cup, a joyous meeting which sees the local press come and delights everyone for several weeks.
Monsignor Figaredo, who goes jogging every morning with young people of all ages, recognizes that sport as surpassing oneself or purifying the spirit borders on the sacred. While the supporters gradually take their places around the lawn, a stone’s throw away, in the church, children rehearse around a keyboard. Others prepare the bouquets which will adorn these refined places where people pray seated on the ground and where Sunday mass generally ends with music, in a simplicity reminiscent of certain local customs. “I like Buddhism for its very harmonious rites,” confides Kike, whose ears are as long as those of Buddha.
The bishop never separates from his krama, the traditional Cambodian headscarf, and likes to say that he is not only at the service of Catholics. Opposite the church, a statue of the Madonna tells the entire history of the apostolic prefecture. With her long coat, she protects the infirm as well as those who advocate wisdom, solidarity and peace. About the artist who signed this representation of the Holy Virgin present in all the parishes of Battambang, Kike will not tell you much. Modesty obliges, he will just let you guess his name… with a simple wink.
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