Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

Pointing and laughing at religious lunacy for more than half-a-century

‘Churches are full of bandits,’ says Rwandan President Paul Kagame

FOLLOWING the closure of around 10,000 churches in Rwanda in a move that sparked international fury, President Kagame reportedly said at a press conference yesterday ago “the church is a place full of bandits. I have no mercy for any church. You have been deceived by the colonisers and you let yourself be deceived!”

While addressing concerns about remaining churches becoming overcrowded, Kagame allegedly said,:

To solve the issue of overcrowding, let’s close them all! We will close the ones that we allowed to remain open, and as for the people, let them pray from their homes.

The President also reportedly told Rwandans:

Go cultivate your lands, go raise your animals. As for prayer, if you need to, pray over the phone!

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Not surprisingly, religious leaders are having conniptions. One — Reverend Coleman — responded this:

Christ said, ‘I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL.’ You are here today, but one day you will be gone, and God’s children will congregate again soon in all freedom and liberty!

A critic on social media platform X warned that Kagame’s words

Should alarm every Christian, every human-rights defender, and anyone who believes in freedom of worship.

Another critic wrote:

Such statements should awaken our conscience. Faith is not a luxury — it is a fundamental right. It is crucial for Africans, whether believers or not, to stand up and protect essential freedoms in the face of any form of authoritarianism.

However, supporters have vigorously defended the President’s position. One Rwandan wrote:

In Rwanda, we have more factories and businesses than churches! That is where our miracle lies. Our freedom of assembly is in the workplace. Our freedom of worship is with our families. Our Hallelujah is in our pockets, our bank accounts, our ability to feed our families.

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Barry Duke

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One response to “‘Churches are full of bandits,’ says Rwandan President Paul Kagame”

  1. Vanity Unfair Avatar
    Vanity Unfair

    But …… Rwanda is a safe place: Parliament says so.
    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/8/contentsSafety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024

    S 2 Safety of the Republic of Rwanda
    (1) Every decision-maker must conclusively treat the Republic of Rwanda as a safe country.

    Yes, I know this is meant for the purpose of immigration control but a significant proportion of potentially illegal entrants claim to be escaping religious persecution. Could it be that Parliament has been misled?

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