Kigali — Archbishop Thaddée Ntihinyurwa, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda appeared before the Gacaca court in Nyamasheke district of the southern Province of Cyangugu on Thursday, to answer questions about what he knows about the 1994 Genocide. He was pinned for turning away Tutsis who sought to take refuge in the cathedral and collaborating with ICTR detainee Bagambiki.

Ntihinyurwa, who was the bishop of the Diocese of Cyangugu during the Genocide isthe most senior church leader to appear before gacaca courts. He admitted having attended the security meetings in 1994 but denied that the meetings were about the execution of the genocide plan.

"I attended these meetings in my capacity as a Bishop of the province but I can assure you that the meetings were purely for planning the restoration of peace to the area," he told the court.

However, Straton Sinzabakwira, a former Mayor of the area who had previously confessed to crimes of genocide refuted the Archbishop's statement, saying the purpose of those meetings was to orchestrate the slaughter.

"Anxious to safeguard the buildings, the bishop refused to allow Tutsi refugees to hide in the cathedral, with the exception of some clergy, some helpers and a few acquaintances. "He was always seen in the company of the then notorious préfet of Cyangugu, Emmanuel Bagambiki, and soldiers, he forced them out to be driven to a football stadium" the witness told the fully packed court session.

Bagambiki is jailed at the Arusha-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda detention facility standing charges of the 1994 Genocide crimes and other crimes against humanity.

Between 15-17 April, several thousand refugees were massacred at the Parish of Nyamasheke in killings sanctioned by Bagambiki, a day after Ntihinyurwa visited them with well-armed militiamen and villagers.

It is alleged that throughout April, May and June 1994, Bagambiki, organised and participated in massacres of Tutsis sheltered in Catholic parishes in the bishop's diocese, as well as massacres elsewhere, but the bishop remained silent.

Genocide survivors also accused Ntihinyurwa of having ordered at least 600 people who had sought refuge in the Nyamasheke Cathedral out of the church into a stadium, where former government soldiers and Hutu militiamen killed them. An estimated 46,000 people were hacked to death in Nyamasheke District.

The court in Nyamasheke will now examine the archbishop's testimony before deciding on whether or not he is a potential suspect.