{{This is a book recently written by Fr Casimir Ruzindaza; Director of Radio Maria Rwanda. It narrates how the Catholic Church confirmed on 2nd July 2001 that the Virgin Mary appeared to Alphonsine, Anathalie and Marie Claire at Kibeho in Rwanda.}}
It speaks of the norms of discerning the authenticity by the Catholic Church and how they were applied to Kibeho.
Accordingly, the first apparition to Alphonsine took place on 28th November 1981. Alphonsine asked the Virgin Mary to appear to someone else in order to make her story credible since she was being ridiculed by her fellow students.
In the course of 1982, the Virgin Mary appeared to Anathalie and Marie Claire. In the same year, Bishop John Baptist Gahamanyi appointed two Commissions of enquiry; one of Theologians and another of Medical personnel to follow closely the claims of apparitions at Kibeho.
On 15th Au¬gust 1988, after observing the reports from the two Commissions, the Bishop approved a public devotion linked to the apparitions of Kibeho, with the clear explanation that it did not mean, as yet, the authenticity of the apparitions.
In other words, he stressed the point that such an approval did not in any way mean the authentication of the apparitions as an automatic follow up.
On 29th June 2001, Bishop Augustin Misago, the new Bishop of Gikongoro Diocese; where Kibeho is found, launched the dec¬laration of the authenticity of the apparitions, after 20 years of close examinations of the events as well as a serious follow up of the visionaries.
He read personally this document of 23 pages dur¬ing the celebration of the solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, in the Cathedral of Gikongoro Diocese, and he explained its implication on the apparitions of Kibeho in Rwanda.
This is the first book to give in details the account of the three visionaries; Alphonsine, Anathalie and Marie Claire. In addition, the book gives a Biblical interpretation of the themes raised by the visionaries as they saw the Virgin Mary.
There are such themes as suffering, the beauty of Mary, the prophetic tears of Mary at Kibeho, Mary’s compassion, her solidarity with humanity, the visions she offered to these girls, the mystical journeys and so on. The same book gives a detailed account of Mary’s message to the world.
The book has 320 pages and is divided into 11chapters. It was edited by Kibeho sanctuary; printed and type set by Marianum Press Ltd, in Kisubi, Uganda. It is available in most book shops in Kigali and Regina Pacis Parish.
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