JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (ADV) – President Paul Kagame said he recognises the value of the Catholic Church’s partnership with Rwandans, particularly in the provision of education and health services to the population, regardless of their religious affiliation.
Kagame announced following his attendance during the iInstallation of the New Archbishop of the Kigali Archdiocese in Rwanda, Antoine Kambanda.
“During my visit to the Vatican, the Holy Father made a humble gesture, calling on God to forgive the Church as a whole, for the Church’s failure in our tragic history,” he said.
Francis’ apologised for the Catholic Church’s role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 people were slaughtered in 100 days of violence. The sins and failings of the church and its members had disfigured the face of Catholicism, he had admitted.
With over 5 million as Roman Catholics in Rwanda, the church has 10 hospitals and 109 health centres where they have collaborated with the government of Rwanda as well as 1,463 primary and secondary schools and five higher learning institutions.
The installation ceremony attracted over 25,000 Rwandans from Catholic parishes across the Kigali Archdiocese and neighboring parishes. In attendance were also guests from Tanzania, Burundi, DRC, Uganda, Belgium, Italy, and Spain.
© Bur-JHB – B.M / K.R – African Daily Voice (ADV) – Follow us on Twitter : @ADVinfo_en
