Friday 24 March 2017

Pope’s apology, Survivors need another round


President Paul Kagame meets Pope Francis in Vatican [Reuters]
Early this Monday 10th March, 2017, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in which over million were slaughtered; where churches became scenes of mass killings in hundred days of rampage.

Vatican’s apology is another important step that was taken in history of Rwanda to put an end on twenty three years of uncertainty to know position of Catholic Church about its members who implicated in killings.

We do thank the Catholic for its humble activity that France should also emulate to accept its participation in genocide.  However first step was taken, it is not a time to pause and quite. 
In my opinion Francis’s plea pardon should be followed by legal acts against genocidaires who are still shielded by Catholic to show its  commitment to crackdown the culture of  impunity in holy house.

To beg for forgiveness does not mean to whiten priests who escaped justice under protection of Catholic. Of course, Catholic Church servants like Father Ubald Rugirangoga are contributing more efforts to heal Rwandan society but Pope should be at the front line to clean catholic legacy in Rwanda by letting justice to play its role.

You can’t say romance between survivors and Catholic re-started new while Vicar Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, who was convicted by genocide crimes that he committed in Saint-Famille in Kigali city, is free, denying genocide overseas in France under Catholic Church umbrella.

Wenceslas Munyeshyaka occurred carrying gun on his shoulders, but now he is still a priest, how come Catholic to accept such a shit? 
He is one on the list with many others that Catholic Church continues to be kept away from justice by declining voices of Rwanda and survivors associations that claim that they involved in killings. So this is a time to end such injustice.

We expect that Vatican approve the law against genocide denying as France did. As Pope Francis begged for forgiveness for its children, he needs to take a measure against priests who deny our history. Vicars are there, Thomas Nahimana is there, he is using genocide denial as political shield.

I thank the government of Rwanda and survivors associations that stood steel on two feet for a long time and dare to tell the truth Vatican that its members involved in genocide and finally Pope Francis apologized.

It is good that Catholic Church acknowledged its responsibility in 1994 Genocide against Tutsis and it is a time to take another step to put into force legal actions against its members whose hands are dirty.