Suchergebnisse

The effects of vernacular Christianity & indigenous groups that have used the Rwandan Catholic Church (RCC) to advance power, prestige, & wealth since 1910 in Rwanda are examined. The RCC supported the revolution of 1959, & came to be ruled by a Hutu episcopacy while relying on Tutsi clergy; then, it assumed a passive political role & concentrated on sacramental & spiritual issues, instead of social problems, in order to protect its economic position, second only to that of the government. Since the 1980s, the RCC has attempted to promote democracy & eliminate violence, but internal divisions have threatened its autonomy, & 33% of its clergy have been killed in genocide. The international Catholic community has linked the RCC with the regime responsible for genocide, & bishops have engaged in public confession, but priests in refugee camps have not. While Rwanda claims to be the most Catholic country on the African continent, different forms of vernacular Christianity have escaped control, & the future of the RCC will depend on the outcome of the current political crisis. V. Wagener