Bishop John Rucyhana

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 22,  2008)

The Center for Ethics and Religion at Queens and the Echo Foundation present Bishop John Rucyahana, the Anglican Bishop of Rwanda, who spoke about genocide and the reconciliation in Rwanda on Wednesday, March 5.

Speaking in Sykes Auditorium to a capacity crowd of Queens students, staff and faculty and the general public, the Bishop told of the remarkable recovery of Rwanda and the obstacles encountered along the way.  Bishop Rucyahana criticized the countries of the world who did not intervene to help Rwanda.  He said that the lesson learned is that we all must be against indifference.

"When Bishop John Rucyahana assumed responsibility for the Shyira Diocese of northwest Rwanda in 1997, he returned home to a devastated country. The 1994 genocide and years of following violence had destroyed almost every element of society. But in the midst of all this pain, Bishop John saw hope in the children of Rwanda. He envisioned the potential of a new generation of leaders trained in excellence, service to others and the teachings of Jesus." To learn more about Bishop Rucyahana and the Mustard Seed Project," go to http://www.mustardseedproject.org/index.asp.