Pope Francis has appointed Father Jean Bosco Ntagungira new bishop of Butare Diocese in Southern Province replacing Philipe Rukamba who is retiring.
Ntagungira has been serving as Parish Priest at Regina Pacis Parish in Remera, City of Kigali, also working at the Inter-diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Kigali from 2002 to date.
Born April 3, 1964 in Kigali, Mgr Ntagungira studied minor and major seminary in Rwanda and was ordained on August 1,1993. In the debut of his priesthood, he served one year as rector of Ndera minor Seminary for one year.
Between 1994-2001, he went to Rome for PhD in Canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University Rome. He returned to his home country and served as Chancellor of Kigali Archdiocese, among other key appointments.
Meanwhile, Rukamba 77, has been serving in this capacity since January 2, 1997 replacing Jean Baptiste Gahamanyi.
In a short message, Rukamba congratulated his successor while saying:” Brethren, at 12 O’clock, we learnt that His Holiness Pope Francis gave us a new bishop for Butare Diocese in the person of Jean Bosco Ntagungira. We welcome him in his honour and with joy in Butare Diocese. May God bless him in the new mission.”
