President Paul Kagame has reacted to the Roman Catholic Church's decision to begin the beatification process for King Baudouin of Belgium, saying it is "very hard to rationalise anything these days."
Historians argue that Baudouin's role as a Belgian monarch aligns him with colonial atrocities in Rwanda and the Congo and support for the country's first republic, which laid the foundation for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
"[It is] very hard to rationalise anything these days!" Kagame wrote on X, reacting to a commentary published by The New Times on Monday, in which the author questioned the Vatican's rationale for the beautification process for King Baudouin.
"Global trend [especially] in politics is: No need for facts, evidence or logic. Just... 'To whom it may concern,"' the President noted.
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This month, the Vatican officially initiated the process to consider King Baudouin, who ruled Belgium from 1951 to 1993, for sainthood.
Very hard to rationalize anything these days! Global trend esp in politics is :- No need for facts,evidence or logic. Just... ' To whom it may concern' !!!!-- Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) December 30, 2024
Baudouin was the last Belgian monarch to oversee colonial territories, including Congo and Rwanda, before their independence in the early 1960s. He was a grand nephew of Leopold II, who is infamously known for atrocities committed in the Congo Free State.
In the commentary, the writer Amani Athar argues that, "the beatification of King Baudouin could be seen as a symbolic act to reinforce the longstanding alliance between the Catholic Church and Belgian state--an alliance rooted in colonialism and exploitation."
For historian Tom Ndahiro, Baudouin's legacy could not be separated from Belgium's colonial history. In an article published recently, Ndahiro questioned whether sanctification is determined by a single act of moral defiance or requires a more comprehensive reckoning with one's legacy.
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A statement released on December 21 by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints said that Pope Francis, during his recent apostolic journey to Belgium, "announced the opening of the cause of beatification and canonization of Baudouin, king of the Belgians."
The dicastery established a historical commission on December 17, comprising archival and historical experts tasked with gathering and evaluating evidence of Baudouin's life and virtues.
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The Church's decision stems from Baudouin's moral stand against the legalisation of abortion in Belgium in 1990, when he abdicated for one day to avoid signing the law.
However, the move has sparked debate, with critics questioning whether isolated acts of conviction suffice for sainthood.
"If opposition to abortion alone were enough for sainthood, as critics argue, heaven might be populated by individuals whose broader actions were far from saintly," Athar argued.
