Advertisement

Rwanda Genocide 30 Years on: Africa’s Christian Professionals in Solidarity, “remembering tragic loss of innocent lives”

Logo of the Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF). Credit: ACPF

Members of the Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF) have expressed their “solidarity” with the people of God in Rwanda as the landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa marks 30 years since the Rwandan genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were murdered.

“The Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF), dedicated to promoting and protecting the sanctity of Life, Family Values, and good governance, extends its solidarity to Rwanda as we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide,” officials of the continental entity say in their Sunday, April 7 statement.

ACPF members join “Rwanda's government, her citizens, African Union member states, and the global community in remembering the tragic loss of innocent lives.”

Recalling the events of 1994 Rwandan genocide, which reportedly lasted 100 days, ACPF officials say, “Thirty years ago, humanity witnessed unspeakable violence, resulting in countless innocent deaths.”

“Today, we pause to reflect on the immense suffering endured by victims and their families, offering our deepest condolences to all affected,” they add.

Advertisement

The Christian Professionals say that the 30th anniversary of the genocide needs to inspire humanity to commit to seeking lasting peace.

“As we mark this solemn anniversary, let us recommit to creating a world where such atrocities never recur,” they say, adding, “May the memories of the victims inspire us to tirelessly pursue peace, tolerance, and understanding.”

ACPF officials also call on the international community “to reaffirm its commitment to preventing genocide and mass atrocities, promoting justice, human rights, and dignity for all.”

In the April 7 statement, the Christian professionals in Africa “commend Rwanda's resilience and determination in rebuilding, fostering unity, and reconciliation, offering hope to all.”

The 1994 Rwandan genocide was reportedly triggered by the 6 April 1994 shooting down of the plane on which the country’s President, Juvenal Habyarimana, alongside his counterpart in Burundi, President Cyprien Ntaryamira, were passengers.

More in Africa

The two Presidents, both Hutu, were returning from peace talks between the Hutu and the Tutsi, when their plane was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali, killing all who were on board. 

In May 2023, Pope Francis dismissed from clerical duties a Rwandan Catholic Priest considered to be a mastermind in the genocide was by. 

Fr. Wenceslas Munyeshyaka who was serving in France’s Diocese of Evreux was accused of playing an active role in the 1994 genocide in different parts of Kigali while he was Parish Priest of the Holy Family Parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kigali.

“By Decree dated March 23, 2023, received last week, the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Francis, by his supreme and final decision which is not subject to any appeal, has dismissed in pœnam from the clerical state Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, incardinated in the Archdiocese of Kigali (Rwanda) and currently residing in the Diocese of Evreux,” Bishop Christian Philippe Pierre Robert Nourrichard said in a statement, notifying the Priest of his dismissal.

Earlier, in November 2006, a military tribunal in Rwanda found Fr. Munyeshyaka guilty of rape and involvement in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi and sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment, KTpress reported.

Advertisement

ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.