Vincent Nsengiyumva

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Styles of Vincent Nsengiyumva


Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor
Posthumous style	none

Vincent Nsengiyumva (February 10, 1936—June 7, 1994) was a Rwandan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Kigali from 1976 until his death.

Born in Rwaza, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1966.

On December 17, 1973, Nsengiyumva was appointed Bishop of Nyundo by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on June 2, 1974 from Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa, with Bishop Aloysius Bigirumwami and Archbishop André Perraudin, MAfr, serving as co-consecrators. He was later named the first Archbishop of Kigali on April 10, 1976.

Within the Rwandan government, Nsengiyumva served as chairman of the ruling party's central committee for fourteen years until the Vatican intervened in 1990^[1]. He was also a friend of Juvenal Habyarimana, whose portrait pin he wore while saying Mass^[2], and the personal confessor of his wife, Agathe.

Himself a Hutu, the Archbishop blamed Tutsi rebels for provoking the Rwandan Genocide, which he once attempted to justify as a means of ensuring democratic majority rule^[3]. He also provided the names of Tutsi clergy to the Interahamwe^[4].

At age 58, he was murdered with two bishops and thirteen priests by Tutsi rebels who believed the prelates were involved with the killing of their families^[5].

[edit] References

^ The Age. Rwanda 10 Years On: Not Forgiven, Not Forgotten April 3, 2004
^ Human Rights Watch. The Army, the Church and the Akazu
^ Genocide in Rwanda. The Ungodly Missionary Legacy
^ Alexandre Kimenyi. Journey to the Genocide Country
^ New York Times. June 5-10: New Atrocities in Africa; Three Bishops and 10 Priests Are Slaughtered in Rwanda As Tribal Killings Go On June 12, 1994

[edit] External links

Preceded by Aloysius Bigirumwami	Bishop of Nyundo 1973–1976	Succeeded by Wenceslas Kalibushi
Preceded by none	Archbishop of Kigali 1976–1994	Succeeded by Thaddée Ntihinyurwa