CEPR : The Bishops receive the Rwandan Minister of Justice in Search of the Church collaboration

At their second ordinary session of 2019, the Bishops members of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR) received this Wednesday, May 8, 2019, the Rwandan Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye. The latter expressed his strong desire to collaborate with the Catholic Church in preparing prisoners for their social and family reintegration. Although his request was well received, the Bishops requested the official access of the Catholic Church to the prisons so that the collaboration takes place in a favorable climate.

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In the company of Deputy Commissioner-General of the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), DCGP Chantal Ujeneza and the Head of the Correctional Division at RCS, CP Jean Bosco Kabanda, Minister Busingye praised the initiatives of the Catholic Church in preparing prisoners for a new life "I came to ask you for this collaboration under the encouragement of what I saw the Catholic Church do in Musanze prison," he said.

In support of his request, the Minister of Justice revealed to the bishops his opinion that his ministry wanted the prisoners to change their minds about their incarceration and that the Rwandan society also change its behavior in front of a prisoner. According to him, during the colonial period, the prison was a place where the settler placed people deemed harmful to society. They should suffer the least possible harm, as the prison supervisors were also trained in this cause. "We want this to change, our prisons are places of correction for positive transformation. For that, we count a lot on the contribution of the Catholic Church and the religious confessions ", wished Mr. Busingye.

Collaboration exists but must be formalized.

The bishops welcomed this request and indicated that this collaboration existed but wished it to be improved."We are very pleased that you made this request. Like all Christians, we have the duty to visit prisoners and to help them, and we do so very often, "said Bishop Philippe Rukamba, Bishop of Butare and President of the CEPR.

Supporting the statement of his confrere, Msgr. Servilien Nzakamwita, Bishop of Byumba, listed the activities by which the Church manifests its contribution to the behavioral change of the prisoners. "Among so many others, we accompany them in the process of reconciliation with themselves so that they can endorse their guilt and ask for forgiveness," he said. Nevertheless, bishops deplore the lack of flexibility in working with the Rwanda Prison Service.

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They complain that in some prisons, when pastoral agents try to approach prisoners to listen to them and prepare them for the sacraments, such as the sacrament of reconciliation, the authorities in these prisons begin to suspect them of having hidden goals. “We hope that this collaboration will be formalized so that we do not have to hesitate when we want to help our compatriots in the prisons, "said Archbishop Emeritus Thaddée Ntihunyurwa.

“Do not confuse the philosophy of justice with that of correction”

According to Bishop Thaddée, when the Church guides the prisoner on the path of reconciliation with the person to whom he has inflicted the evil, it helps him at the same time to come to terms with God. However, Bishop Smaragde Mbonyintege of Kabgayi added that the prisoner should not be forced to ask for forgiveness. He would have to feel in himself and for himself the need for a request for forgiveness. Otherwise, there would be some who would only ’follow the old cow’ or would do it for narcissistic interests. "Do not confuse the philosophy of justice with that of correction," warned Bishop Smaragde. He deplores the fact that some prisoners who, after being imprisoned by the law, also imprison themselves by sinking into evil instead of being corrected.

The Catholic Church has always helped prisoners, through the Episcopal commission for Justice and Peace and prison chaplain priests, by raising awareness among the faithful not to abandon theirs who are in prison and taking care of the prisoner moral education. In 2017, through its National Office of Catechesis (CNB), the CEPR published a document entitled "Amasomo y’Iyobokamana y’Abari muri Gereza"(Catechesis for prisoners). The Catholic Church in Rwanda is also preparing Christians to welcome and integrate into their basic ecclesial communities people leaving prisons.

A large number of prisoners to be released soon.

In the next three years, Rwanda plans to release a large number of prisoners. According to Minister Busingye, their good preparation for reintegration will also give them a third chance to change their lives into a life without crime. Recently, as part of the 25th Commemoration of genocide against Tutsi in 1994, IBUKA President Dr. Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, within the boundaries of the former ISAR Rubona in the Huye District, asked participants to expect a mass release of genocide convicts. He invited them to have a good cohabitation with them. However, he regretted bad behavior of some genocide convicts who had been released before. He has indeed recommended a thorough preparation before their return to the community.

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On February 5, 2019, at Musanze Prison, Minister Busingye Johnston officially launched a project to empower women and youth who are about to serve their time in prison.
As part of this project, psychological counseling is provided and practical skills acquired so that released prisoners can create income-generating activities to help their families in order to reduce the recidivism rate. It is implemented thanks to the collaboration between the Rwandan Correctional Service, Byumba Catholic Diocese and OXFAM.

More than 70% of prisoners are under 50

According to DCGP Chantal Ujeneza, the largest number of prisoners in prisons are under 50 years old. From there, Minister Busingye believes that the strength of these people remains a need for the future of the country, since the life expectancy of Rwandans has increased. To do this, they must be corrected and educated so that they can return to their families offering many more solutions than expenses.
For this vision, the Bishops and Minister Busingye agreed that, aside from the moral preparation of inmates at the end of their sentence, more attention should be paid to their training in different professions and to the acquisition of other useful knowledge for Rwandan society.

"Help us to ensure that released prisoners are useful to Rwandan society. I know it requires a lot of money, but when there are initiatives and collaboration, the means are not lacking, "concluded the Rwandan Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye..

Telesphore Kaberuka
DOCICO