Pope apologises for church's role in Rwanda genocide

Catholic church was accused of being close to Hutu-led government in 1994 when 800,000 mostly Tutsis were killed.

Several Catholic priests as well as nuns were charged with participating in the 1994 genocide [Reuters]

Pope Francis has pleaded for forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed about 800,000 people.

The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi", the Vatican said in a statement following a meeting on Monday between Francis and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
"He implored anew God's forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, among whom priests, and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission," it said.
A number of churches became scenes of mass killings during the 100-day rampage, as Hutu militiamen found people seeking refuge there, sometimes turned over by priests, with no way out.

TIMELINE: How Rwanda's genocide unfolded

Francis' pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the Vatican to apologise for the church's role in the massacres.
Since the genocide, whose victims were mostly from the Tutsi minority, the Catholic Church has been accused of being close to the Hutu government in power in 1994.
Francis, 80, said he hoped "this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory'" and promote "renewed trust".
Rwanda's government indicated it felt the apology did not go far enough, saying the local church was still complicit in protecting the perpetrators of the genocide.
Pope Francis poses with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette during a private meeting at the Vatican on Monday [EPA]

Convictions and acquittals

Several Catholic priests, as well as nuns and brothers, were charged with participating in the genocide and tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and by a Belgian court, leading to some convictions while others were acquitted.
The highest-ranking church official to be tried for genocide was the late bishop Augustin Misago, who was acquitted and freed from prison in June 2000.

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