Le Forum Catholique

L'Église catholique rwandaise reconnaît son indifférence lors du génocide. Les évêques se sont dits prêts à présenter des excuses.
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Rwanda: Genocide - Church to Apologise for Role 'Soon'

By Jean Mugabo
The Catholic Church has acknowledged the indifference of its members during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and will apologise as soon as the Genocide inquiries and court cases into the role of the church members are concluded.

Over three decades of hate campaign that culminated in the Genocide against the Tutsi marked the weakness of Christian churches in Rwanda.

At a national retreat of church leaders in Musanze District, last year, clerics expressed their apologies for their shortcomings in their mission to spread love.

But the Bishop of Kabgayi, Smaragde Mbonyintege, who doubles as the chairperson of the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Rwanda, said delaying to apologise was justified as unprepared Rwandans and survivors associations were likely to wrongly interpret the apologies.

"Prior to apologising, the church is preparing the minds to receive our expressions," Mbonyintege told The New Times last week.

"Starting just after the Genocide, we have been encouraging the culprits to confess and seek pardon from the survivors, at the same time preparing the latter to forgive. The Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda is not génocidaire, but our apologies are on behalf of our members who participated in the Genocide," the bishop added.

The Archbishop of the Kigali Archdiocese, Thaddee Ntihinyurwa, also reaffirmed that the church will apologise "as soon as the Genocide inquiries and court cases of the church members are over."

Archbishop Ntihinyurwa was speaking to Leopold Gasigwa, the film-maker of L'abscé de la vérité ('The Tumour of the Truth').

He confirmed this in an interview with this newspaper last week.

Reacting to the move, the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) and the umbrella of Genocide survivors associations, Ibuka, both commended the clerics on the idea but urged them not to delay any longer.

"It is a good move by the churches if they now feel apologetic, but let them do it soon when the Genocide survivors are still alive. It would definitely lose importance if they apologised to people who do not clearly know of their participation," said Dr Jean Damascene Bizimana, the executive secretary of CNLG.

Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of Ibuka, shared Dr Bizimana's concerns and recommended that churches, particularly the Catholic Church, to help in upholding justice.

"If they only apologise for Genocide crimes but not help bring fugitives to justice, it will be in vain," he said.

Dr Jean Baptiste Habyarimana, the executive secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), told The New Times that the churches had lost momentum and would discuss with them during a meeting slated this month.

Dr Bizimana said unlike other churches that closed their eyes, the Roman Catholic Church offered indirect support in Genocide against the Tutsi.

"The Catholic Church rendered support to the genocidal regime from the 1959 so-called revolution when thousands of Tutsi fled to neighbouring countries. The church intervened in the creation of early political parties which promoted ethnic discrimination," he said, citing an example of Bishop André Perraudin who supported Joseph Gitera to start Aprosoma and Gregoire Kayibanda to set up Parmehutu.

Dr Bizimana added that Catholic schools implemented the discriminatory programme, known as Iringaniza, which excluded the Tutsi.

But Bishop Mbonyintege said they opposed Iringaniza in their schools but succumbed to the government pressure.



"For example, Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami and Bishop Joseph Sibomana denounced publicly the ethnic discrimination in schools (Iringaniza) but were forced to receive the students that government was sending them," he said.

Bishop Mbonyintege noted that the Catholic Church worked with the former government, not on the plan of Genocide but in education, health and development programmes, as they are working with the current government.

"The Catholic Church always works with governments on social programmes, however, there has always been pressure from political leaders to have the church get involved in political issues but we declined," he said.

Although Dr Bizimana lauds Pope John Paul II on being the first, in 1994, to confirm publicly that Genocide was taking place in Rwanda, he blames the Catholic Church of not helping the quest for justice yet the Pope recommended them to do so in 1996.

Bishop Mbonyintege admitted the failure of the Catholic clerics to publicly disapprove of the killings, but said that the church never interferes in criminal investigations or in the work of prosecutors.

"We were numbed when the Genocide started but we had no power to stop it because the killers were armed. The clerics feared to rebuke the murderers and we are ashamed of that weakness and much more frustrated over the involvement of our priests and church members in the Genocide," he said.

From sacred places to killing grounds

While Ibuka wishes that churches that were smeared with the blood of Genocide victims be turned into memorial sites, the Catholic Church believes that it is giving honour to the departed when they do Eucharist service over their graves.

"Many churches served as the killing grounds during Genocide, and then people cleaned away the blood of innocents and started praying from there. That does not honour the Genocide victims. We want those churches turned into memorial sites," Ahishakiye said.

"We all understand the brutality of Genocide in the same way, but differ from political institutions on the commemoration of the victims. We believe that keeping the innocents in the sacred places, honours them most. Our first cathedrals are built on the graves of martyrs. We remember and pray for them whenever we do Eucharist," said Bishop Mbonyintege.

Bishop Mbonyintege added that their churches put up memorial plates showing the names of the victims and messages condemning the Genocide.
Catholic Church versus Genocide denial

Dr Bizimana, commended the contribution of the church in building unity and reconciliation, but decried their slackness in fighting the Genocide deniers who include some of their priests.

Bishop Mbonyintege said that a catholic priest ex-communicates himself when he involves in politics.

"In the voice of Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic Church was the first to confirm the Genocide against the Tutsi while the international community was silent. This church cannot deny or trivialise the Genocide. Those priests who deny Genocide just bear our name but no longer serve the church," he said.

Bishop Mbonyintege noted that the church condemns the evildoers, but also praise the good works of their members who endured the wrath of killers and saved many during the Genocide.

allafrica.com

je devine le réflexe anti-catholique dans l'exigence "tutsi" d'abandonner le culte catholique dans les églises souillées par les ignobles massacres inter-tribaux! Pourquoi les transformer en simples "mémoriaux du génocide" alors qu'elles ont été lavées et reconsacréescomme il se devait? Sinon pour en chasser les catholiques et les enfoncer dans une mythologique "culpabilité collective" ? _____ Cui prodest? Ceux qui veulent en profiter pour revenir aux antiques sorcelleries et qui camouflent derrière un syncrétisme "évangélico-business" leur violence d'État et et leurs monopoles d'anciens clans dominants .
---> Il y a un risque sérieux que certains évêques soient prêts à toutes les concessions vis-à-vis des anticléricaux au pouvoir, lesquels sont soutenus par les exploitants illégaux de la colombo-tantalite au Congo voisin. Rouanda & Burundi: pays où le père du mensonge est roi.

Les missionnaires catholiques ont commis le crime - aux yeux des tutsis - d'enseigner l'égale dignité devant DIEU et aussi sur le plan juridique - des hutus réduits à une forme africaine de servage - avec les tutsis qui voulaient rester la seule élite dirigeante du Rwanda, les seuls ayant étudié au-delà du primaire et les seuls propriétaires de la terre.
1. Qu’aurait fait l’Eglise qu’elle n’a pas fait ?
2. Nous savons que depuis l'attaque du 1er octobre 1990, l’Eglise catholique était la première cible de la rébellion tutsi. Même les populations qui se réfugiaient dans les paroisses et les monastères étaient tuées. Le Vatican a reçu assez de courriers à ce sujet. Les missionnaires étrangers, témoins de ces exactions, étaient éliminés d’office. L’Espagne en sait quelque-chose.
3. Devant ces menaces, le clergé devait chaque-fois s’éloigner des zones de combats. C’est ainsi que les évêques, les prêtres et les religieux sont allés s’installer dans les locaux du diocèse de Kabgayi, situé au centre du pays. De ce fait, des dizaines de milliers de Tutsi les y ont rejoints. Tous étaient sous la protection de l’armée rwandaise.
4. Avant la chute de cette région, l’armée a voulu déplacer le clergé, mais les évêques ont refusé de laisser cette foule toute seule.
5. Quand le FPR est arrivé, l’archevêque de Kigali Mgr Vincent Nsengiyumva, l’évêque de Byumba Mgr Joseph Ruzindana, l’évêque de Kabgayi Mgr Thaddée Nsengiyumva et leurs vicaires généraux, ainsi que tous les prêtres et religieux Hutu ont été fusillés. Mgr Innocent Gasabwoya, d’ethnie tutsie, est tombé dans cette embuscade pour avoir refusé d’abandonner ses frères. Il aurait dit aux tueurs du FPR : « Ne commettez pas l’irréparable ».
6. Dans la suite, d’autres évêques ont été sauvagement assassinés, dont Mgr Phocas Nikwigize de Ruhengeri et Mgr Christophe Munzihirwa de Bukavu.
7. L’emprisonnement de Mgr Augustin Misago de Gikongoro et sa mise à mort reste dans la mémoire de tous. Il lui était reproché d’avoir été envoyé présenter les doléances du clergé rwandais au Pape Jean-Paul II en visite en Côte d’Ivoire.
8. Aujourd’hui, beaucoup de témoins oculaires racontent en détails comment ces tragédies contre les membres du clergé catholique se sont déroulées.
9. Les évêques Tutsi, sur lesquels le FPR comptaient pour créer une Eglise Nationale n’ont pas voulu jouer le jeu et ils ont connu une fin de vie mystérieuse. Il s’agit de Mgr Jean Baptiste Gahamanyi, Mgr Wenceslas Karibushi et Mgr Joseph Sibomana. Quant à Mgr. Frédéric Rubwejanga, il a préféré renoncer à la charge pastorale du diocèse de Kibungo.
10. Le Rwanda est et restera longtemps le seul pays au monde qui, dans moins de dix ans, aura perdu autant d’évêques, prêtres, religieux et religieuses. Mais l’ardeur des fidèles a centuplé. Cela leur a permis d’échapper aux dizaines de sectes qui ont envahi le pays dans l’espoir de détrôner l’Eglise catholique.
11. Les nouveaux évêques Tutsi jouent le jeu du FPR qui a négocié leur nomination, sinon ils doivent dégager. Mgr Smaragde Mbonyintege est le porte flambeau de cette tendance qui refuse les victimes soient inhumés dignement et dans leurs cathédrales. L'avenir nous le dira, car le temps fera son travail !