‘God spends the day elsewhere, but He sleeps in Rwanda’ About Catholicism, conflict and peace in Rwanda

Abstract

Over the last decades, scholars from different backgrounds have researched the ways people deal with the consequences of violent conflict. Only recently, the contributions of religion to processes of peace and reconciliation attracted academic attention. This thesis builds upon this emerging field of study and examines the role of Catholicism in Rwanda. Currently, Rwanda is known for the genocide that occured in 1994. But long before the genocide took place, Rwanda was seen as an example of succesful mission. The thesis revolves around the question how the way Catholicism functioned in Rwanda before and during the genocide affected its role in the peace process. It combines theoretical insight from the field of (religious) peacebuilding with an historical overview about the role of Catholicicm in the dynamics of conflict and peace in Rwanda.