The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gikongoro ( la, Ghikongoroën(sis)) is a
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
located in the city of
Gikongoro
Gikongoro is a city in Nyamagabe district, Southern Province, Rwanda.
It was previously part of Gikongoro Province, which has been disestablished. Gikongoro province was founded by the newly independent Rwandan state shortly after it gained fre ...
in the
Ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...
of
Kigali in
Rwanda. The diocese is home to the parish of
Kibeho
Kibeho is a small town in south Rwanda, which became known outside of that country because of reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ occurring between 1981 and 1989. It is also known for the Kibeho Massacre, in April ...
, where there were reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary throughout the 1980s. A shrine celebrating the apparitions of
Our Lady of Kibeho
Our Lady of Kibeho (french: Notre-Dame de Kibeho), also known as Our Lady of Sorrows of Kibeho, is a Catholic title of the Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in the 1980s by several adolescents in Kibeho, south-wester ...
now stands at the site and serves as a place of pilgrimage. The diocese also includes large Catholic parishes at Kaduha and Cyanika. Gikongoro was historically the poorest province in Rwanda. Gikongoro is now part of South Province.
The first bishop to serve the diocese,
Augustin Misago
Augustin Misago (1943 – March 12, 2012) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gikongoro, Rwanda.
Ordained in 1971, Misango was named bishop in 1992. In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, he was accused of helping the Rwandan ...
, was appointed in part because he had studied and written on the Kibeho apparitions when he served as Rector of the
Grand Seminary of Nyakibanda. In 1999, the Rwandan government charged Bishop Misago with complicity in the 1994 genocide, and he spent 14 months in prison while his trial took place. He was ultimately acquitted in June 2000 and allowed to return to his functions as bishop.
History
* March 30, 1992: Established as Diocese of Gikongoro from the
Diocese of Butare
Leadership
* Bishops of Gikongoro (Roman rite)
**
Augustin Misago
Augustin Misago (1943 – March 12, 2012) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gikongoro, Rwanda.
Ordained in 1971, Misango was named bishop in 1992. In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, he was accused of helping the Rwandan ...
(1992-2012)
** Célestin Hakizimana (2015–present)
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in Rwanda
The Catholic Church in Rwanda is part of the worldwide Catholic Church.
There are just over five million Catholics in Rwanda—about half of the total population. The country is divided into nine dioceses including one archdiocese. The Rwandan g ...
References
External links
GCatholic.org
Catholic Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gikongoro
Roman Catholic dioceses in Rwanda
Christian organizations established in 1992
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century