Onesphore Rwaje (born June 6, 1953, in the Sector of Kinyababa,

Burera District Burera is a district (''Akarere'') in Northern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Cyeru. Geography and tourism The district lies in the northern part of Rwanda, adjacent to the Ugandan border, and between the cities of Ruhengeri and Byumba. It ...

, Northern Province of Rwanda) is a Rwandan Anglican bishop. He was the Primate of the

Anglican Church of Rwanda The Anglican Church of Rwanda (; ) is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 13 dioceses in Rwanda. The Primate (bishop), primate of the province is Laurent Mbanda, consecrated on 10 June 2018. Official names The Province of the Anglican ...

from 2011 to 2018. He is married and has five children.

Ecclesiastical career

Rwaje has a M.A. in Theology and Development Studies from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and a doctorate in theology in the area of leadership from

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

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. Rwaje was ordained a deacon on July 28, 1985, and a priest on July 27, 1986. He was nominated as a residential canon at St. Stephen's Cathedral in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

in 1989. He was elected the first bishop of the Diocese of

Byumba Byumba is a city and sector in northern Rwanda and the capital of Gicumbi District. It is home to an SOS Children's Village. The city lies about , north of the capital Kigali. This location lies approximately , south of the International border w ...

, in August 1991, being consecrated on November 24, 1991. He became Dean of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda in 1995. He was elected Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and bishop of the newly created Diocese of Gasabo on September 17, 2010. His installation took place on January 23, 2011, at the Kigali University Stadium, being attended by Rwandan President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

. On April 10, 2012, Rwaje took part in a joint news conference, with several religious leaders from Christian denominations, concerning the legislation that would legalize abortion in Rwanda if the pregnancy could gravely damage the health of the women or of the unborn baby and in cases of incest, rape or forced marriage. Rwaje stated that instead of accepting abortion under these circumstances, measures should be taken to address the causes "since they are the problem and not abortion". He also stated that there are people born under these cases that have gone to become "useful citizens to the nation". He expressed his full opposition to abortion, like his predecessor,

Emmanuel Kolini Emmanuel Mbona Kolini (born Belgian Congo, 1945) is a Congolese-Rwandan Anglican bishop. He was the second Primate of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, named Anglican Church of Rwanda in 2019, from 1998 to 2011. He is married and a father of eight ...

, also present. He is a supporter of

GAFCON The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a communion of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches, aligned with the Confessing Movement, that formed in 2008 in response to ongoing theological disputes in th ...

and the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episco ...

. Rwaje participated at the

Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a communion of conservative Anglican churches, aligned with the Confessing Movement, that formed in 2008 in response to ongoing theological disputes in the worldwide A ...

Leadership Conference that took place at St. Mark's Church in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, with delegates from more than 30 countries, on 23–27 April 2012, to express is committed support for orthodox

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and the worldwide

. After the departure of the

Anglican Mission in the Americas The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) or The Anglican Mission (AM) is a self-governing church inheriting its doctrine and form of worship from the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) and Anglican Church of Canada with members and ch ...

, the mission of the Anglican Church of Rwanda in the United States, in December 2011, Rwaje issued a Joint Communiqué with Archbishop Robert Duncan, of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

, on April 28, 2012, addressing the question of the future of the bishops and clergy of the church body. It was decided to create a new missionary organization in the United States, that would be the PEARUSA, officially a dual sub-jurisdiction of the

and of the Anglican Church in North America, since June 2012. He attended GAFCON II, that took place in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, from 21 to 26 October 2013.Legacy of East African Revival Frames GAFCON Opening Night, GAFCON Official Website, 22 October 2013
/ref>

References

External links

Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rwaje, Onesphore 1953 births Living people Rwandan Anglicans 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican archbishops People from Burera District Rwandan bishops Anglican archbishops of Rwanda Anglican bishops of Byumba Anglican bishops of Gasabo Anglican realignment people Fuller Theological Seminary alumni