Catholic Church in Rwanda apologised 1994 genocide

Catholic Church in Rwanda apologised 1994 genocide

In the spring of 1994, violence erupted in Rwanda after a plane carrying then

president Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down. Thousands of ethnic Tutsis, a minority group who became a target after Habyarimana’s death, sought refuge in the country’s Catholic and Protestant churches.

Hutu militia surrounded the churches, shooting into the crowd, throwing grenades into the building, and killing those inside with machetes. According to witness accounts, many died at the hands of priests, nuns, and clergymen. “More Rwandese citizens died in churches and parishes than anywhere else,” the group African Rights, wrote in an account of the violence, in 1995.

**The Catholic Church in Rwanda apologised on Sunday for the Church’s role in the said genocide, saying it regretted the actions of those who participated in the massacres.

“We apologize for all the wrongs the Church committed. We apologize on behalf of all Christians for all forms of wrongs we committed. We regret that Church members violated [their] oath of allegiance to God’s commandments,” said the statement by the Conference of Catholic Bishops, which was read out in parishes across the country.

The statement acknowledged that Church members planned, aided and carried out the genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. ** (** - The Guardian, 21 November 2016)

Can it suffice the broken hearts of the kin of the victims? So the essence of the episode is do whatever you want, we have such a God with us who will condone every sin of us and keep a place in heaven for us when we reach there.

Just think within yourself whether you can imagine a massacre of this sort by the priest community of our Sanathana Dharma and expressing their repentance after more than 20 years .That is why Gitacharya says:

sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah para-dharmat svanusthitat

sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah para-dharmo bhayavahah

Know and follow your swadharma that must be your aptitude

It is always better to die following your own dharma than to embrace any other religion. Their's is only religion and not Dharma the way of life.

The image is showing the head priest standing before and looking at the wall hanger (let us say) containing numerous skulls