Thousands of places of worship shut down in Rwanda • FRANCE 24 English

More than 8000 churches and mosques have been shut down in Rwanda this month for not meeting health and safety standards. Nearly half of the country's places of worship have been found to be in violation of several regulations. Its the first major crackdown since a law tightening up operations was brought in 5 years ago. FRANCE 24's correspondent in Kigali, Clement di Roma, reports.
#Rwanda #church #mosque

[MwesigyeMoses-syyo]

imagine thousands in a small country like Rwanda

[gmchrisx]

That microphone is dirtier than the streets of Kigali

[tv-ujjm]

Churches are 5 times schools and 10 times hospitals it means that there is something wrong

[alliancequatre]

Wonderful! Africa need more industries. Not churches!

[politicsbiscuit]

Safety is important
If life is not there who will pray

[blessings]

Its not actual churches, its rather cult praisers.

[CarolynWipf-ckns]

I have a close friend from Rwanda he told me that a lot of those "churches" there are just scam markets. It's sad how they trick poor people into giving up a portion of their hard earned wages. A good move by the Kegame government in my opinion.

[ErioMillionz-ybur]

They're not permanently closed. Some are closed because they don't have fire extinguishers, a few toilets, unhiegeine or too small for the crowd they receive. If they correct those things, they will operate again.

[PierreJJ.]

Rwandan from France here. I think it's the best thing that could have ever happened, given the context. Rwanda is still, overall, a poor and undereducated country. At one point, its population was significantly uplifted—intellectually, financially, and academically—by the powerful institutional influence of the Roman Catholic Church. Over the past 20-30 years, however, various homemade non-denominational Protestant churches, influenced by Americanized practices, have emerged in Kinyarwanda.

These churches are often led by self-declared miracle workers and pastors who can barely read and have never set foot inside a rigorous theological university program. In traditions like Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Eastern or Ethiopian Orthodoxy, such training usually involves about 10-12 years of university-level theological education. Therefore, I'm glad to see the growing trend of Eastern Christian Orthodoxy, particularly the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt, supporting the religious needs of converts across Rwanda with government backing. When it comes to Christianity, Orthodox Christianity is the real deal

This move is a way to protect people from exploitation, while the organized high churches—such as Roman Catholicism, the world’s largest denomination, and the theologically well-preserved Church of Holy Orthodoxy, whose patriarchate is in Alexandria, Egypt—are not affected. Smaller congregations, such as Lutheran and Anglican churches, also support the government’s vetting process. It's fascinating how, in such a short time, Rwandans have embraced non-denominational 'scripture alone, faith alone' mini-pastors, prophets, and prophetesses lol.

[wulh]

The government of Rwanda respects the right to religion and the right to have a place of worship, as long as that place meet the standards. Churches have tolerate substandard, where you could find church premises receiving 1, 000 people with one toilet for men and one toilet for women.

I understand the frustration of people whose churches have been temporally closed, but they have the effort to ensure they are meeting the standards.

Rwanda Government Board (RGB) has done everything in good faith.

[gospelyouth]

Are you kidding me? The Only place people find hope and bad people can change for good. This is not a good move. If you remove religion you are also removing moral standards. I do belive its important for religious centers to follow the law of a country but this is a bad move from Rwanda and they will regret it.

[jzkeyuu]

They are also posing security threats as insurgents can use those facilities for mobilization and fundraising under cover.

[BLACKMAMBA-zglv]

In Rwanda we don’t need religions to be spiritual🇷🇼

[enzcvdy]

The one thing he took from his former colonisers, secularism

[wollondillyargyle]

Just like '1984', 'Brave New World', etc.

[gahangwasteve]

they must open schools than bringing those religion nonsense.

[LorenzoLatola]

In forcing the council of churches leading to the dynamic of the mark of the 'beast'

[ttrknows]

Please forgive them, they do not know, what they are doing

[RANGIRADIDIERKAYUMBA]

Having a degree in theology as one of the requirements set by the government shows just how they don't understand how Christianity work. And the sentiments of the president saying that Rwanda doesn't need so many places of worship just shows again that he doesn't understand what God is doing in His church. Nations rage, but the King of kings sits enthroned and he laughs at such tyranny. He will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I understand the health standards but the others requirements just make me think his motives are evil. He maybe just doesn't like the church and wants a pagan society like the West.

[KennySiboman-gqjt]

This is the beginning of kagame's downfall