Wenceslas Kalibushi (29 June 1919 – 20 December 1997) was a

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

n Catholic bishop. Wenceslas Kalibushi was born on 29 June 1919 at Byimana, Rwanda. He was ordained a priest on 25 July 1947. On 9 December 1976 he was appointed bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nyundo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nyundo is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda, with headquarters at Nyundo mission, Rwanda, Nyundo. It was erected on February 14, 1952 as the Apostolic vicariate, Apostolic ...

, and he was consecrated by Archbishop

Vincent Nsengiyumva Vincent Nsengiyumva (February 10, 1936 – June 7, 1994) was a Rwandan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Kigali from 1976 until his death. Born in Rwaza, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1966. ...

on 27 March 1977. His principal co-consecrators were Archbishop

André Perraudin Archbishop André Perraudin, M. Afr. (7 October 1914 - 25 April 2003) was a Swiss Catholic clergyman who lived in Rwanda for nearly fifty years. He was Archbishop of Kabgayi from 1959 to 1989. Career André Perraudin was born on 7 October 1914 i ...

and Bishop

Aloys Bigirumwami Aloys Bigirumwami (December 22, 1904 – June 3, 1986) was a Rwandan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Nyundo from 1959 to 1973, having previously served as its apostolic vicar. Birth and education Aloys Bigirumwami w ...

. Kalibushi was one of the few priests to speak out against government actions during the lead-up to the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

. On 28 December 1993 he and the priests of Kibuye and

Gisenyi Gisenyi, historically rendered as Kisenyi, is the second largest city in Rwanda, located in the Rubavu district in Rwanda's Western Province. Gisenyi is contiguous with Goma as it was formerly also part of now Democratic Republic of the Congo, t ...

issued a letter that criticized the government for issuing arms to civilians. His letter asked the authorities to "clearly explain to the public the utility of the arms that had been distributed during recent days." Perhaps because of Kalibushi's willingness to support Tutsis and his criticism of the government, his compound at Nyundo was one of the first targets of the Hutu extremists. The morning after the death of President

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (; ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who was the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, his assassination in 1994. H ...

, on 7 April 1994 a number of

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

families came to Nyundo for safety. A large, hostile and armed crowd arrived, and the killing began, including women and children who took refuge in the chapel. On the morning of 8 April the militia captured the bishop, stripped him and threatened to kill him, but were stopped by an army officer. Bishop Kalibushi was taken to Gisenyi and was later released at the request of the Vatican. On 3 May Mgr.

wrote a letter to the Christians of Nyundo reassuring them that Kalibushi was safe and sound, and that rumors that he had fled to Nairobi were false. Kalibushi retired on 2 January 1997 and died on 20 December 1997.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalibushi, Wenceslas 1919 births 1997 deaths People from Ruhango District 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Rwanda Rwandan Roman Catholic bishops 20th-century Rwandan Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic bishops of Nyundo