On April 7, 2024, the leaders across the world joined Rwandans and the world to mark the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
In a message, the Church stressed that the commemoration is a time to pray for the victims, to support and comfort the survivors and build fraternity.
“As Christians, we remember those who lost their lives. We ask to God, to grant them eternal life. When we remember, as Christians, we commit to being a bridge of peace and a bond that unites people”, they said.
The Church regrets the lack of unity in the history of the country, dominated by hate ideologies and divisions, and make a call to all people to work for real fraternity, through the respect of human dignity as the foundation of peace and prosperity.
The Church denounces that in different parts of the world the violation of human rights prevail and cause grave harm to the peaceful coexistence. This situation reminds what happen in Rwanda during the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, which took more than one million human lives.
To end up this situation, the Bishops call each and every one to work together on the path of unity and reconciliation. “In Rwanda, this path has not been easy during the past thirsty years but has been possible and made Rwanda a model of rising from the bottom of the madness of hatred and division to the top of reconciled, peaceful and prosperous society”, they added.
For this to be real, the Catholic Church in Rwanda played an important role through Justice and peace commission and other different pastoral organs. A number of pastoral activities has been organized to work for social cohesion.
Considering the only sector of catholic media, the Church in Rwanda has done a number of activities in media sector to work for unity and reconciliation through media.
In 2000, the Church in Rwanda founded the Catholic Institute of Kabgayi (ICK), with the faculty of communication. As media has been used to spread hate speech and division, the Church proposed to use media for unity and spread the culture of peace. Four years after, the Church in Rwanda launched a Catholic Radio, which was conceived from the beginning as a Radio to preach unity and was initially named “Unity Radio”. Unity Radio shifted to Radio Maria Rwanda that still broadcast today.
In 2020, the Catholic Church in Rwanda, opened a Television Station, with the name of PACIS TV which means, Television of peace as a contribution to work for peace through digital means. Another example of Rwanda’s commitment to peace and fraternity, is welcoming the SIGNIS World Congress in the capital, in Kigali, this 2026.
In a message for the thirty commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, the Church shows its satisfaction on the work done and assured its commitment to keep working for lasting peace and social cohesion.