Onesphore Rwaje (born June 6, 1953, in the Sector of Kinyababa,

Burera District Burera is a district (''Akarere'') in Northern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Cyeru. Geography and tourism The district lies in the northern part of Rwanda, adjacent to the Ugandan border, and between the cities of Ruhengeri and Byumba. It ...

, Northern Province of Rwanda) is a Rwandan Anglican bishop. He was the Primate of the

Anglican Church of Rwanda The Anglican Church of Rwanda (French: ''Église anglicane du Rwanda'') is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 11 dioceses in Rwanda. The primate of the province is Laurent Mbanda, consecrated on 10 June 2018. Official names The Provinc ...

from 2011 to 2018. He is married and has five children.

Ecclesiastical career

Rwaje has a M.A. in Theology and Development Studies from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and a doctorate in theology in the area of leadership from

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Rwaje was ordained a deacon on July 28, 1985, and a priest on July 27, 1986. He was nominated as a residential canon at St. Stephen's Cathedral in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

in 1989. He was elected the first bishop of the Diocese of

Byumba Byumba is a city in northern Rwanda, and is the capital of Gicumbi District. It is home to an SOS Children's Village. The city lies about , north of the capital Kigali. This location lies approximately , south of the International border with Uga ...

, in August 1991, being consecrated on November 24, 1991. He became Dean of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda in 1995. He was elected Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and bishop of the newly created Diocese of Gasabo on September 17, 2010. His installation took place on January 23, 2011, at the Kigali University Stadium, being attended by Rwandan President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

. On April 10, 2012, Rwaje took part in a joint news conference, with several religious leaders from Christian denominations, concerning the legislation that would legalize abortion in Rwanda if the pregnancy could gravely damage the health of the women or of the unborn baby and in cases of incest, rape or forced marriage. Rwaje stated that instead of accepting abortion under these circumstances, measures should be taken to address the causes "since they are the problem and not abortion". He also stated that there are people born under these cases that have gone to become "useful citizens to the nation". He expressed his full opposition to abortion, like his predecessor,

Emmanuel Kolini Emmanuel Mbona Kolini (born Belgian Congo, 1945) is a Congolese-Rwandan Anglican bishop. He was the second Primate of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, named Anglican Church of Rwanda in 2007, from 1998 to 2011. He is married and a father of eight ...

, also present. He is a supporter of

GAFCON The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

and the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States ...

. Rwaje participated at the

Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Conservative ...

Leadership Conference that took place at St. Mark's Church in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, with delegates from more than 30 countries, on 23–27 April 2012, to express is committed support for orthodox

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

and the worldwide

. After the departure of the

Anglican Mission in the Americas The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) or The Anglican Mission (AM) is a self-governing church inheriting its doctrine and form of worship from the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) and Anglican Church of Canada with members and chu ...

, the mission of the Anglican Church of Rwanda in the United States, in December 2011, Rwaje issued a Joint Communiqué with Archbishop Robert Duncan, of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

, on April 28, 2012, addressing the question of the future of the bishops and clergy of the church body. It was decided to create a new missionary organization in the United States, that would be the PEARUSA, officially a dual sub-jurisdiction of the

and of the Anglican Church in North America, since June 2012. He attended GAFCON II, that took place in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, from 21 to 26 October 2013.Legacy of East African Revival Frames GAFCON Opening Night, GAFCON Official Website, 22 October 2013
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References

External links

Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rwaje, Onesphore 1953 births Living people Rwandan Anglicans 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican archbishops People from Burera District Rwandan bishops Anglican archbishops of Rwanda Anglican bishops of Byumba Anglican bishops of Gasabo Anglican realignment people