Cardinal Kambanda delivered the message on Sunday, August 30, 2026, during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Caritas and the Justice and Peace Commission in the Archdiocese of Kigali.
The jubilee was celebrated at St Jean Bosco Parish in Kicukiro, Kigali. The Justice and Peace Commission in the Archdiocese of Kigali was established in 1992, amid violence, insecurity and political unrest.
Following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, its activities expanded to address challenges facing the country, including refugees, returnees, prisoners and orphans, as well as efforts to promote forgiveness and peaceful coexistence.
Cardinal Kambanda said justice and peace require love of God, which teaches people to care for others and make sacrifices rather than focus solely on their own interests.
He particularly urged Christians to learn from Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, a Congolese customs official who was killed in 2007 after refusing a bribe to allow expired food products that could have harmed many people to pass through.
“Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, in Goma, Congo, refused a bribe when they wanted to bring in expired food that could kill people. They offered him money, but he refused until they killed him. He accepted persecution and death rather than take a bribe that could put many people’s lives at risk,” Cardinal Kambanda said.
Bwana Chui, who worked at a border customs post, was abducted and killed in Goma on July 8, 2007, at the age of 26.
Cardinal Kambanda also cited other people who sacrificed their lives for others as examples worth following.
He revealed that the Catholic Church in Rwanda has begun collecting information and compiling a list of Rwandans who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi because of acts of self-sacrifice, although he did not specify how the information would be used.
Leave a Reply