One of the churches that were closed in Kigali
The news dominating headlines in local media is the closure of places of worship. The first event that sparked public debate and social media since last week was the closure of one church called Umuriro wa Pentekote.
The church was closed countrywide, indefinitely due to several shortfalls, including, but not limited to divisionism in the church leadership which is also believed to have spread among the believers.
To this case also was added the temporal closure of different places of worship which failed to comply with several instructions related to security, safety, hygienic and administrative requirements.
For example, the requirements demand churches to have a paved parking, with slots clearly marked. They require churches to have fire safety equipment in place, then security features at the entrance to check the attendees.
Churches were asked to build soundproof features so as to avoid noise pollution both inside and outside, and to have leaders who studied a Master of Theology.
In the two blocs that emerged around the issue on social media, one defended the churches and said, that they do not earn the same way in offerings, and therefore, cannot be assessed under the same consideration.
They defended that the closure of the churches is not timely because this dry season is a time when many churches offer many sacraments to their believers, and this decision “is deceitful.”
This class of thought suggests that the regulators “should have been lenient enough and capable to walk on the checkpoints with the religious organizations slowly.”
However, another bloc supports the government decision and defends that, “Afterall churches are only exploiting followers, asking them to give offerings.”
Some can even go as far as suggesting that: “Church is a business of conning people, period.”
During a morning Show, Waramutse Rwanda at national television on Monday, August 5, the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the Rwanda Governance Board (RDB), Usta Kayitesi said that the current crackdown has seen 5600 places of worship closed, but the campaign is a result of regular inspection national wide.
‘The law guiding religious organizations that was published in 2018 had given them one year to comply with basic requirements, and five years to complete the remaining requirements. Last year we met them and asked them to do self-evaluation before we come in,” CEO Kayitesi said.
“Several problems in places of worship, but we can note that people are abandoning official places of worship and go out in the mountains or in caves among other hostile place to seek God.”
She said that it is strange to go to seek God in hostile environment, yet God said that he is omnipresent.
Albert Baudouin Twizeyimana from a local non-government organization had joined the CEO of RGB.
He defended that people going into caves to pray are victims of bad teachings from their leaders.
“They were told that God is everything and in result, they bear many children. After realizing that they ought to give birth to a number of children they were able to bring up, they go to seek the same God in those difficult conditions. God wants responsible people,” he said.
The host of Waramutse Rwanda had mobilized the upcountry team and asked them to find the reaction of the believers towards this decision.
A journalist in the Southern Province said that believers go to pray in some mountains like one called Kanyarira in Ruhango district which is risky.
She had on record a pastor of a Methodist parish who said, that his church was closed because he was lacking enough toilets, a parking yard, a soundproof, but said ever since the church was closed, he is working on fulfilling the requirements.
Other believers said that closing churches every now and then can cause depression to believers, but Kayitesi advised that worshipers should not consider church as drug addiction, something that distract them; the church should rather be a way of living. She said that allowing the church to operate when they do not fulfill the requirements, is like telling hungry people that they can steal to eat.
Kayitesi suggested that, instead of having so many churches which do not fulfill required standards, they would rather advise church leaders to keep a few which they can maintain.
“There are in Rwanda more churches than there are schools. Why all this?” she said.
Churches that were suspended will reopen once they fulfil required conditions, but CEO Kayitesi did not say precisely when the exercise to do the next inspection is due.
