Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- “Our young people are the future of the Church in Rwanda. We must start with them it we want to heal the wounds of the past” Bishop Alexis Habiyambere S.J. of Nyundo chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Rwanda told Fides is a report on the local Church, 11 years since the tragic genocide in 1994. The Bishops of Rwanda are presently making their ad limina visit to Rome.
“We learn from the tragedies of the Nazi Holocaust or the Armenian genocide that 11 years are very few for Rwanda to overcome the trauma of the genocide. Nevertheless those years were not in vain and progress has been made in the process of national reconciliation” the Bishop said.
“Of course what happened can never be forgotten and justice must be done” the Bishop said. This is why the Rwandan government has entrusted the Gacaca Courts with the trials of people suspected of being implicated in the events in 1994. He explains how these courts work: “Gacaca Courts are the only way to judge thousands of persons charged with being involved in various ways in the organisation of the genocide. Ordinary juridical procedure would take far too long and would be an impracticable solution. We must consider that thousands of people suspected of being involved in the genocide are still waiting to be tried. Many of these are innocent but many are guilty and still free”.
The Bishop describes how the courts work: “The procedure of the popular courts is simple: people are tried by their own community. To those who make a full confession the Court shows clemency. The first thing is to find out the truth, to find those who organised the genocide and identify individual responsibilities. Very often people found guilty by Gacaca Courts are sentenced to social work such as building roads, schools or hospitals”.
“The local Church is fully committed to promoting national reconciliation. The Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops plays an important role and so do Catholic schools with regard to educating the younger generations to respect and love for others. And our Catholic youth movements bring together and form children and young people of different ethnic groups” the Bishop said.
With regard to the future of the Church in Rwanda Bishop Habiyambere said: “The Church in Rwanda is a lively reality. The tragic events in 1994 did not affect the spirituality of Rwandan Catholics as some commentators had predicted, on the contrary, the faith of the people was strengthened. Most of our clergy and religious today are local born and vocations are flourishing. Indeed our seminaries are overflowing and need to be enlarged if anything!” “However the presence of missionaries is still important for formation, education and healthcare” the Bishop said. “The request for spirituality in Rwanda is the reason for the spread of sects which offer messages more easily understood than that of Christianity and are very lapse with regard to moral behaviour . However the problem of religious sects exists not only in Rwanda but all over Africa and in many other parts of the world” the Bishop concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 19/5/2005 righe 49 parole 568)
