Vincent Nsengiyumva
| The Most Reverend Vincent Nsengiyumva | |
|---|---|
| Kigali | |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Kigali |
| Installed | April 10, 1976 |
| Term ended | June 7, 1994 (his death) |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | Thaddée Ntihinyurwa |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 18, 1966 |
| Consecration | June 2, 1974 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 10, 1936 Rwaza, Ruanda-Urundi |
| Died |
June 7, 1994 (aged 58) Kabgayi, Rwanda |
| Nationality | Rwandan |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Styles of Vincent Nsengiyumva | |
|---|---|
.svg.png) | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Vincent Nsengiyumva (February 10, 1936 – June 7, 1994) was a Rwandan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Kigali from 1976 until his death.
Born in Rwaza, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1966.
On December 17, 1973, Nsengiyumva was appointed Bishop of Nyundo by Pope Paul VI, replacing Aloys Bigirumwami, who had resigned. He received his episcopal consecration on June 2, 1974 from Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa, with Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami and Archbishop André Perraudin, MAfr, serving as co-consecrators. He was later named the first Archbishop of Kigali on April 10, 1976.
Within the Rwandan government, Nsengiyumva served as chairman of the central committee of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development for fourteen years, until the Vatican Curia intervened in 1990, ordering him to withdraw from further political involvement.[1][2] The National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development was the Hutu-dominated ruling party in Rwanda between 1975 and 1994.
Nsengiyumva was a personal friend of then Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose portrait pin he wore while saying Mass.[3] He was also the personal confessor of Habyarimana's wife, Agathe.
Himself a Hutu, the Archbishop blamed Tutsi rebels for provoking the Rwandan Genocide, which he once attempted to justify as a means of ensuring democratic majority rule.[4] He also provided the names of Tutsi clergy to the Interahamwe.[5]
On June 7, 1994, at the age of 58, he was murdered near the Kabgayi church center with two bishops and thirteen priests by members of the Tutsi-dominated Rwandese Patriotic Front,[2] who were said to have believed the prelates were involved with the killing of their families.[6]
References
- ↑ The Age. Rwanda 10 Years On: Not Forgiven, Not Forgotten April 3, 2004
- 1 2 Michael Swan, "Report calls for church to admit role in Rwanda genocide". The Catholic Register, July 24-31, 2000, p. 24.
- ↑ Human Rights Watch. The Army, the Church and the Akazu
- ↑ Genocide in Rwanda. The Ungodly Missionary Legacy
- ↑ Alexandre Kimenyi. Journey to the Genocide Country
- ↑ New York Times. June 5-10: New Atrocities in Africa; Three Bishops and 10 Priests Are Slaughtered in Rwanda As Tribal Killings Go On, June 12, 1994
External links
- Catholic-Hierarchy
- Anglican Complicity in the Genocide in Rwanda And Lessons for the Anglican Communion Today
| Preceded by Aloysius Bigirumwami |
Bishop of Nyundo 1973–1976 |
Succeeded by Wenceslas Kalibushi |
| Preceded by none |
Archbishop of Kigali 1976–1994 |
Succeeded by Thaddée Ntihinyurwa |