Archive-It Partner 536: Old Dominion University - Collection 9545: Breed Specific Legislation
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In Francis’ statement, after the 25-minute meeting in the Apostolic Palace with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican indicated that some Catholic priests and nuns “succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission” by partaking in the genocide.
Hutu refugees wait to be evacuated May 25, 1994, in Rwanda.
Scott Peterson/Getty Images
Bodies and wreckage lie on the floor of a room May 5, 1994, in Rukara, Rwanda. Hundreds of Tutsis were killed at the Rukara Catholic mission in April 1994 in one of the worst massacres of the Rwandan violence.
Scott Peterson/Getty Images
A Tutsi woman lies ill outside the Ruhango refugee camp May 25, 1994, in Rwanda.
Roughly half of Rwanda’s population is Roman Catholic.
Pope Francis’ request for forgiveness comes after an official apology last year by Rwanda’s Catholic bishops for “all the wrongs the church committed,” which the Rwandan government dismissed on the grounds that “the Catholic Church still remains from a full and honest reckoning with its moral and legal responsibilities.” It subsequently demanded an apology from the Vatican.
Tony Gentile/Reuters
Rwanda's Kagame is welcomed by Pope Francis during the private meeting at the Vatican.
The Vatican’s statement went on to say that Francis “expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a ‘purification of memory’ and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace.”
After the meeting with Francis, the Rwandan president tweeted about his happiness with the “new chapter”:
Great day/moment and meeting with Pope Francis, new chapter in relations btwn Rwanda & Catholic Church/Holy See!
In addition to talking about the genocide, Francis and Kagame exchanged their views on “the political, social and regional situation, with attention to those places that are suffering conflicts and natural calamities” with a specific focus on “the large number of refugees and migrants in need of help and support from the international community.”
