Reinventing Theology in Post-Genocide Rwanda: Challenges and Hopes

The Catholic Church's role in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is examined in Reinventing Theology in Post-Genocide Rwanda, and the book offers a way to reconstruct the Church, theology, and memory. Contributors provide personal testimonies of their journeys to reconcile the evil that has marred the Church's image.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 05 July 2023
Publisher: Georgetown University Press

From April to July 1994, over a million people were brutally slaughtered during the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Tutsi men, women, and children were mercilessly massacred by Hutu extremists in churches and school buildings, their lifeless bodies left to rot in these sacred places under the deafening silence of church authorities. Pope Francis' apology, more than twenty years later, presents a momentous opportunity to reimagine the very essence of the Church, the missionary enterprise, theology in all its multifaceted dimensions, the purification of memory, and the place of human dignity within the Catholic faith. Reinventing Theology in Post-Genocide Rwanda is a groundbreaking work that critically examines the Church's role in Rwanda's tragic history and fosters a dialogue for constructing a new theology. Contributors to this volume share poignant personal accounts of their journeys toward reconciliation, navigating the complexities of bystanders' indifference to the suffering, despite their claims as members of the Church. This first-of-its-kind volume is a vital step toward the restoration of fundamental peace and lasting reconciliation for the Rwandan Catholic Church and humanity as a whole. Catholic clergy, laypeople, and human rights advocates will greatly benefit from this in-depth examination of ecclesial moral failure and subsequent reconciliatory efforts.

Weight: 953g
Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781647123475