XPost: alt.politics.religion, alt.religion.christianity, alt.religion.christian XPost: alt.christian.religion, alt.christnet.religion
Rwanda: President Kagame Shocked By High Number of Churches in Rwanda
By Johnson Kanamugire and Edmund Kagire
"Seven hundred churches in Kigali? Are these boreholes that give
people water?" asked President Paul Kagame when he heard that more
than 700 churches had been closed down by authorities.
"I don't think we have as many boreholes. Do we even have as many
factories? But 700 churches, which you even had to close? This has
been a mess!"
The closure this week by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) was meant
to tighten rules on registration and functioning of churches in the
country in the face of rising cases of fraud and security concerns.
Religious and rights groups said the closure amounts to infringement
on the right to worship, but the government says the crackdown is
timely, in the face of thousands of mushrooming churches in the
largely Christian country.
President Kagame, while officiating at the closure of a four-day
national leadership retreat on Thursday, commented on the ongoing
operation saying that he was surprised by the large number of
churches. He pointed out that had there been proper planning, the
situation would not have got to a level where the government has to
close churches.
He said that Rwanda has not reached a level where it needs all these
churches, noting that such a big number of churches is suitable in
bigger and developed economies that have the means and systems to
sustain them -which is one of the two scenarios such a development can
be explained.
"The second scenario is that you will find such a mess [of churches]
in societies which have nothing like ours for different reasons. In
Rwanda and Africa, there are those who want to see us in such chaos.
When authorities intervene and stop them, they lament that it is a
human rights abuse. People should have a right to worship in whatever
church, they say," said Mr Kagame.
He however said that Rwandans do not have the luxury and means to
sustain such churches, supporting the move to shut them down.
Loopholes
The heads of Pentecostal churches which are the most affected have
lamented the decision to close churches, which they said was hastily implemented.
"We needed more time to put things in order and later an inspection
would determine which churches to close," said Bishop Liliane
Mukabadege of Mountain of Hope, pointing out that some of the closed
churches can meet the standards given a grace period.
Observers say that crackdown could set back planned investments which faith-based organisations were making including in the media, schools
and hospitals.
It is suspected that a recent case involving Amazing Grace FM, a
Christian-run radio station accused of airing a hateful sermon against
women, put churches in the spotlight. In the sermon aired on January
29, a pastor Nicolas Niyibikora vented against women calling them
"evil" and "against God's plan".
The radio has since been temporarily closed and fined Rwf2 million
($2,320) for undermining state security and Rwandan culture.
RGB, which registers faith-based and civil society organisations, says
there are loopholes in the current law which were deemed not strict
enough to address the issues that emerged after its enactment in 2013.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201803030059.html
--
Steve Hayes
http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
http://khanya.wordpress.com
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