Georgianne Nienaber
29 August 2005
opinion
Kigali — I was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church 56 years ago this month. Most of my education was completed in Catholic institutions, including one year post-university. I was raised to pursue the tenets of social justice as mandated by my faith and to respect the separation of Church and State as outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America.
My catechism and upbringing were influenced by the findings of the Second Vatican Council which urged all Catholics to embrace the poor and respect cultural differences. Over the years, I have found myself attending church less frequently for a number of personal reasons, but the basic moral dictums of the Church still influence my thoughts and behavior. This personal introduction is given as I put forth my confusion and alarm regarding recent statements made by influential religious leaders in Rwanda and the United States.
The Anglican Bishop of Rwanda's Kibungo Diocese, Reverend Josias Sendegeya, traveled to the United States in January 2005 and compared a recent schism in the Anglican Church to the genocide. In a separate instance, the influential American televangelist, Pat Robertson, called for the United States to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him "a terrific danger" bent on exporting Communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas, according to widespread media reports in the United States today. The immediate question that comes to mind is, what right do these "men of God" have interjecting themselves into international politics and religious issues that are well outside of their understanding and moral authority?
The case of Reverend Sendegeya is very interesting. At his ordination ceremony, he pledged to improve the well-being and the lives of the people he leads. President Paul Kagame attended Sendegeya's ordination and asked that the Bishop work for the common good of the Rwandan people, according to Rwandan government press releases. Within the last month, Sendegeya addressed journalists at Episcopal headquarters in Remera and said that the community living around Rwanda should desist from mixing Christian values with ethnic sentiments. According to a press release posted by the Catholic Information Service for Africa, Bishop Sendegeya said "We still have bad elements that need Godly guidance for moral change." This statement seems reasonable and righteous on the surface, but the Bishop's recent journey to the United States causes one to question exactly what he meant by this declaration.
As an American, I do not understand the complexities of African ethnic practices regarding marriage and the family, nor can I speak with authority regarding legal interpretations of the Rwandan constitution. However, questioning the Bishop's motives during a recent visit to the United States seems to fall within the boundaries of responsible dialogue.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (January 29, 2005) quoted Bishop Sendegeya when he drew a parallel between the Genocide of 1994 and a schism which occurred in the US Episcopal Church in 2004 when American bishops consecrated an openly gay (homosexual) man as the Bishop of the State of New Hampshire.
"The Rwandan people know what it is to suffer," said Sendegeya as he spoke through a translator, according to the Post-Dispatch article. "We experienced Genocide and the horror that no one in the world came to help us. What happened in the Episcopal Church feels like genocide, too, but it is spiritual rather than physical."
Sendegeya's visit was considered an attempt to encroach upon the influence of American bishops, who are more liberal than some of their African counterparts. The comparison to the Genocide raised many eyebrows here in the United States. Its lack of perspective and seeming lack of respect for the victims of the Genocide is incomprehensible coming from a man who represents Rwandan moral authority.
For all of Sendegeya's efforts, it was reported that a schism group, The Anglican Mission in America, awarded $80,000 to supply every priest in Rwanda with a bicycle. In addition, another conservative Anglican church agreed to buy five motorcycles so that Sendegeya's archdeacons can make their way from parish to parish in Rwanda without having to hitchhike, according the Post-Dispatch article, Sendegeya is said to believe that the Anglican diocese of Rwanda has come to the "rescue" of conservative churches in America. If this is true, are the "donations" a personal monetary award for his influence?
As an interested American, I wonder if the average Rwandan knows this. Is this a reasonable use of money and donations, given the levels of poverty and medical needs in Rwanda? Having recently returned from Rwanda, it is my opinion that the poor need education, food, medical supplies and clothing. Is giving bicycles and motorcycles to priests in contradiction to working for the common good of the Rwandan people? It is also interesting to note that one of the parishes visited by Bishop Sendegeya in the U.S. lost its court case on retention of church property, and was ordered by a U.S. judge to vacate premises which legally belonged to the local Episcopal diocese. Why is Bishop Sendegeya meddling in American church issues? How much did his travel to the United States cost? Does he really represent the views of the Anglican Church in Rwanda?
In another example of mind-numbing lack of judgment, American evangelical preacher, Pat Robertson, announced on television that the United States should assassinate the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. Robertson said that "It is a whole lot cheaper than starting a war," according to news wire services and CNN. The Venezuelan vice-president, Jose Vicente Rangel, angrily demanded that the United States invoke the language of the anti-terrorist Patriot Act and termed Robertson's remarks "terroristic" in nature.
U.S. State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, backpedalled on the issue and termed Robertson a private citizen who does not reflect United States policy. This flurry of charges and denials was prompted by Robertson's comment that the United States utilize its ability "to take out" Chavez, adding that it would be cheaper than waging a $200 billion war to "get rid of one strong arm dictator."
Rwandans should note that the United States bans political assassinations under executive orders signed by former Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.
In other controversial statements with world-wide implications, Robertson has asked God to remove justices from the Supreme Court, criticized the Quran, and said that President Bush told him that there would be no American casualties in Iraq. The White House strongly denies this last claim. Without spending too much time on the obvious irresponsible behavior of Sendegeya and Robertson, one has to ask if their actions and utterances are, in even the vaguest way, "Christian" in nature. Only God can determine morality and place final judgment.
Separation of Church and state has a strong Biblical precedent. The Founding Fathers took this into account when they drafted the Constitution of the United States. As system of checks and balances it ensures that these and other doctrines are protected. The right to individual privacy is also protected under American law. If nothing else, it might be wise that all Christians remember Christ's admonition to "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's."
For my part, I realize that this is a difficult approach for an American to take with respect to Rwandan history, culture and governance. Hopefully, it is an interesting departure for dialogue.
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