Religious organisations should not protect people accused of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean-Damascène Bizimana said Monday.
Bizimana said some churches and religious groups still protect individuals involved in the genocide, including by helping some leave Rwanda instead of encouraging them to face justice and acknowledge their actions.
“Some religions choose to protect these people because they believe their image has been damaged. They hide them or take them to another country instead of helping them to reform and become better people,” he said.
He was speaking at the opening of a national retreat for ADEPR pastors at Nkumba Leadership Development Centre in Burera District. The event runs from Oct. 5 to 10 and brings together senior pastors and other church leaders.
Bizimana contrasted those practices with ADEPR’s handling of its own history, saying the church had acknowledged that some of its pastors participated in the genocide and removed them from pastoral responsibilities.
He praised the church for what he described as a willingness to examine its past, recognise wrongdoing and take corrective measures.
ADEPR General Overseer Pastor Isaïe Ndayizeye said the retreat was intended to help pastors understand Rwanda’s history, including the factors that contributed to the destruction of the country and its people.
He said the lessons would help church leaders and their congregations contribute to rebuilding the country and protecting it from a recurrence of such divisions.
The minister also called on religious organisations to play a greater role in strengthening national unity.
Bizimana said ethnic discrimination was among the forces that contributed to the destruction of Rwanda and that religious institutions had a responsibility to help counter divisions and promote unity.
ADEPR has previously acknowledged that some of its members participated in the genocide. Government historical records document massacres at ADEPR sites and the involvement of some church figures.
