Pope Asks God’s Forgiveness for Catholic Involvement During the Rwandan Genocide

“Humble Recognition of the Failings” of the Church

The Holy See Press Office announced on March 20, 2017 that Pope Francis had received Rwandan President Paul Kagame in audience. In the course of the meeting, the Pope “conveyed his profound sadness…for the genocide against the Tutsi,” and expressed solidarity with the victims of the tragedy on behalf of the Church. In words reminiscent of John Paul II’s in 2000, “he implored anew God’s forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members,” including “priests, and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission.”

The Pope also hoped “that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the Church” might “contribute to a ‘purification of memory’” and “promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace[.]”

The Pope made reference in his address to a similar statement by Catholic Rwandan bishops of November 20, 2016. President Kagame had previously judged the bishops’ statement inadequate: it apologized for the involvement of the clergy in the violence that took place, but emphasized that the genocide had not been ordered by the Church. Kagame said at the time that “in light of the scale on which these crimes were committed, an apology from the Vatican would be most appropriate.”

Francis has now publicly expressed sorrow, but in doing so has diplomatically referred Kagame back to the Rwandan bishops’ statement. However, the Pope’s apology seems to suffice for Kagame and should set the tone for renewed collaboration between Church and State in Rwanda.

The Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan genocide refers to the slaughter of the Tutsi ethnic group by the Hutu from April to July 1994. When the Belgians took control of Rwanda from the Germans after World War I, they found a hierarchical society in which many of the Tutsi were landowners and were involved in government, and were treated as a sort of native aristocracy, while many of the Hutu were laborers. There was a certain amount of overlap and intermarriage between the two ethnicities, and both groups were generally content with the situation. The Belgian colonial administration maintained this social structure; it was usual for Catholic colonial powers to support the native social structures and work through them to achieve their goals of civilization and conversion.

However, in the post-World War II years, a number of Belgian missionaries imbued with the ideals of Christian democracy began gaining influence in the country. They took control of the schools, and one of their number, Fr. Georges Dufour, founded an immensely popular youth movement, the Xaveri (which still exists). Their goal was to form a new Rwandan elite that would fight for social justice and universal brotherhood, as well as self-government. They saw the existing class structure of Tutsi and Hutu as a feudal and a racist system from which the Hutu should be freed. The Rwandan young were trained to hate the impositions of the hierarchical society into which they were born and to idealize egalitarianism, which they saw as an equal opportunity to access power.

In the late 1950s, as the Marxist-inspired frenzy for decolonization swept over Africa, it was only natural in consequence that racial tensions between Tutsi and Hutu, aggravated by the work of socialist missionaries, should come to a head. Riots and killing on both sides ensued. In 1962, the Belgians pulled out of the country and Rwanda declared independence. Violence between the Hutu (now the ruling power) and the Tutsi escalated until the assassination of the Hutu Rwandan president in 1994 triggered an outbreak of killing directed at the Tutsi, civilians and soldiers alike. An estimated 800,000 persons died before the bloodshed came to a halt in July 1994.

Catholic Involvement in the Genocide

Under the Belgian administration, Catholic missionaries had spread the Faith amongst both Hutu and Tutsi. Inevitably, there were Catholics, lay and religious, on both sides of the conflict. While numerous Catholic religious and priests were murdered by the Hutu, there were several who were convicted in the aftermath of having aided and abetted the Hutu and even participated in the massacres.

Little more than 20 years separate us from these tragic events and it will be for historians of the future to apportion the blame with accuracy. Popes in recent times have apologized on numerous occasions for the sins of Catholics throughout history. In commenting on such matters, it is important to distinguish between the holiness that is an unchanging mark of the Church as a divine institution, and the personal holiness or wickedness of its individual members.