TECIR : The Ecclesiastical Tribunal to begin a partnership with the Officiality of Münster

Judges and ministers of the Interdiocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Rwanda (TECIR) welcome the partnership process already under way with the Officiality of Münster in Germany which, according to them, will strengthen the professional capacities of TECIR. They expressed this joy during the meeting of exchange of experiences with the delegation of the Officiality of Münster, on 24th May, 2019, at the headquarters of the ‘Conference Episcopale du Rwanda’ (CEPR) in Kigali.

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Addressing the local Catholic press, Bishop Vincent Harolimana, Bishop of Ruhengeri and Moderator of TECIR, expressed satisfaction with the visit of the officiality of Münster to Rwanda, because it is already a good start of two-sided consultation. "We must provide ourselves with safe and stable means not to allow the accumulation of files and thus to disappoint Christians who wish spiritual liberation".
According to Bishop Harolimana Vincent, although the work done by TECIR is remarkable, the court faces structural and financial challenges. “So,” he says, “it needs different supports to accomplish its mission. The partnership with the Münster First and Second Instance Court is very beneficial to the Church of Rwanda. Because we hope it will allow us to put in place the legal instruments for a job well done, and the exchange of experiences will help to improve the way we work”.
Abbot Kurt SCHULTE, the official of Münster and Rector of the Münster’s Cathedral promises
In his address, the Official Abbot of Münster promises a partnership between the Officiality of Münster and the Inter-diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Rwanda (TECIR). "When your official abbot Cyprien was at home, he learned from us and us from him. Let’s continue like this in the same direction. This was the beginning of our partnership which, through our conference today has just been founded and is documented. We will define this contractually and sign it at a later date. Materially, the diocese of Münster could help you and has already done so when it has allowed you to obtain the necessary office equipment for your work. We would like to help you ! But visits and internships, participation in meetings are also possible and constant cooperation and advice can be via email or Skype. Perhaps also the study of canon law in the diocese of Münster ! Let’s learn from each other and work together for the salvation of souls”, says Abbot Kurt.

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TECIR, a little known
According to TECIR Official, Abbot Dr Cyprien Dukuzumuremyi, the competence of TECIR does not consist solely in the declaration of nullity of the marriage. It also deals with the procedures relating to the sacrament of the Order, oral proceedings relating to various conflict situations of the baptized Catholics, especially when it comes to the question of damages. But the feasibility of the latter case is only possible if there is a bilateral agreement between the Church and the State. “In Rwanda, we are not yet at this stage,” notes Abbot Dr. Dukuzumuremyi.

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Fairness and true spirit of service
According to Mgr. Andrzej Józwowicz, Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda, emphasis must be placed on the pastoral character of the Tribunal in its spiritual dimension for the salvation of souls. “The law, if it is necessary, is not enough in itself. If the Sabbath, as the Lord says, is done for man and not man for the Sabbath, the law is made for man and not the other way around,” says Mgr. Andrzej Józwowicz.
He adds that the law preserves a value and an instrumental character and it remains a means for the pursuit of justice, to lead to good. “In this context,” he concludes “only a reference to the supernatural dimension and to love can teach the one who works in the courts the necessary insight for an adequate compassion of the human soul that allows the formulation of a fair and equitable judgment”.

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The freed by TECIR testify
Military retiree of 53 years, Jean Fidèle UWAYEZU is Catholic, remarried with Marie Gorreti Byukusenge since 16 years and religiously in couples since 2018.
Divorced with his first wife in 2000 by a lawsuit in his favour for serious insults and defamatory remarks, Fidèle describes his first marriage as “too quickly arranged” and as “a painful ordeal”, the engagement having lasted only three months. "Remarried in 2003 before the law, I lived a life turned upside down and my heart was consumed by anguish during all these years,” he regretted, “because we could not receive certain sacraments, and above all, we could not receive the Eucharist. As I kept telling myself (and this was also the case for my wife), I am a sinful man. I longed to confess and receive Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. My soul was thirsty for the living God and wanted to live in harmony with the Lord from here on earth so that with my death will live forever in peace and joy with the Lord”, Fidèle testifies.
He later goes on saying : “We had decided in spite of ourselves to accept our situation, because we knew nothing about the functioning of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, let alone its existence in Rwanda. I thought that if the Tribunal existed, it could only be in Rome, and it was unthinkable to submit our request there. One day, a friend informed me that the Ecclesiastical Court had been established in Rwanda, but I did not believe it. I quickly learned as we wanted to regularize our Christian life and resume the sacramental life. And finally I went to Inter-diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Rwanda (TECIR) to present my case. I told myself that, since the Church has the power to bind two individuals into a conjugal union, it should also have the power to untie souls in danger who wish to be delivered. I asked the same Ecclesiastical Tribunal that if, in my soul and conscience, it judged my case admissible and well-founded, it could declare my marriage null and void, and starting from the introductory libel I had submitted. In this case, the Tribunal would have performed an act of deliverance from my soul, and not that of separating what God had united. The Tribunal therefore received our request, and proceeded for almost two years in accordance with the prescribed canon law. On our side, we waited patiently, praying for God to listen to our suffering. Finally, on July 23, 2018, the Tribunal, having weighed all the elements in fact and in law, declared my first marriage invalid, on the basis of the total simulation of the marriage on my part. I and Goretti, my wife, thanked God who had thus delivered us, for we thus received the right to marry religiously. Our long-awaited wedding was celebrated in the Holy Family Parish on December 08, 2018”.
Wishing that the Tribunal be made available to the faithful who need its services, Mr. Jean Fidèle told the CEPR that it was important to expand and strengthen it "because", he said, "I know that there are many other people who are in the same situation as we were before, and who unfortunately are unaware of the existence of this Tribunal. My humble wish is that this Tribunal be put within the reach and knowledge of Christians, not to separate what God, in his love, has united, but especially to untie the souls who suffer, because there are some”.
The TECIR exists since November 1959. Momentarily arrested in 1994, it resumed its activities since 2007. It is charged by the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda of the administration of the ecclesiastical justice in the dioceses. It has a priestly trained personnel, judges and ministers of justice and defenders of the bond. It currently has 14 ministers and judges, and a permanent official. It currently has 14 ministers and judges, and a permanent official. He is supported by Local Sections (at the level of each diocese). As a result, the number of marital cases to be dealt with has increased considerably. However, since its creation the Tribunal does not yet have its own building or adequate equipment to better do justice to the faithful who need it.

DOCICO