Pope Francis on Monday
reiterated a 'mea culpa' by the Catholic Church "for the sins
and deficiencies of the Church" during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Francis said he echoed late pope St John Paul's apology at
the Jubilee in 2000 for the sins of the Church's members,
"including priests, religious men and women who gave in to
hatred and violence, betraying their evangelical mission."
The pope was speaking in a statement issued after "cordial"
25-minute talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the
Vatican.
Francis said he had told Kagame he hoped his apology would
help his country heal its wounds.
During the 100-day genocide, over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and
moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists, many at the hands
of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by
survivors.
The Rwandan government says many died in the churches where
they had sought refuge.
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