The Archbishop of Kigali urged the Rwandan authorities to reopen Catholic churches that meet required standards, saying many believers are struggling to practise their faith fully.
Cardinal Antoine Kambanda made the appeal in his Christmas sermon, reflecting that while Christ was born for all humanity – including Rwanda – he arrives in a society wrestling with serious spiritual and moral difficulties.
“The Word who was born for all people was also born for us here in Rwanda,” Kambanda said. “But in what condition does He find us? He finds a people thirsty to know God, yet burdened by serious challenges that threaten faith. He finds us in the darkness of our night, weighed down by the sins of the world.”
The cardinal noted the continued closure of many churches, parishes, chapels and outstations under official requirements on building standards and licensing. He said Christ finds communities unable to gather for worship.
He also warned against what he described as a form of modern progress that seeks to replace God, adding that respect for the Lord’s Day, prayer and the signs through which God offers salvation is declining among many believers.
The world Jesus encounters today is one that increasingly promotes limitless individual rights, elevates moral confusion and normalises what was once considered unacceptable, Kambanda said. He pointed to growing intolerance toward believers and diminishing respect for the Virgin Mary.
“A person who lives in darkness needs light to understand where they are and where they are going,” he said. “In darkness, people fear everything – even those they meet who may be their brothers and sisters. Just as the eye needs light to see, the human mind needs God to understand its purpose and direction.”
The cardinal cautioned against attempts to understand God solely through human intellect, saying this often leads people away from the truth.
“Just as the moon cannot shine without the sun, a person cannot have light unless it comes from the true light of God,” he said, identifying that light as Jesus Christ. He also warned against emerging ideologies that deny the need for God, arguing that human fulfilment cannot be achieved through material development alone.
Referring to the wise men who visited Jesus, Kambanda said they offer a powerful example of placing God at the centre of life: “No one can attain the happiness they are destined for without God.”
Cardinal Kambanda expressed solidarity with Christians whose churches remain closed and who now follow services online. He renewed his appeal to authorities to act, calling for the reopening of churches that comply with requirements so that believers can once again worship together.
He emphasised the centrality of prayer in Christian life, saying believers cannot rely solely on worldly things as they were created for eternal life.