Jonathan Ruhumuliza

Jonathan Ruhumuliza (born 1956) is a Rwandan retired Anglican bishop, who served as Bishop of Kigali and Bishop of Cameroon. He is currently a parish priest in the Church of England.

Biography

Ruhumuliza trained for the priesthood at Butare Theological School, Rwanda, was ordained a deacon in 1982 and a priest in 1983 and served as curate of Kigeme, Rwanda, until 1984. He then became Manager and Chaplain at Kigeme High School (1983–1986) before attending Makumira University College (Arusha, Tanzania), graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) in 1989. He took on the Manager and Chaplain roles at Kigeme Hospital (1989–1990) then returned to his old High School jobs (1990–1991).

Consecrated in 1991, Ruhumuliza served as Assistant Bishop of Butare until 1992 and as Provincial Secretary for the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (1992–1993). In 1993, he became Assistant Bishop of Kigali and Coadjutor Bishop of Kigali.

After the genocide began in April 1994, Ruhumuliza is accused of siding with the Hutu extremist government that organised the genocide of about 800,000 Tutsis.

In May 1994, Ruhumuliza wrote to the secretary general of the All Africa Conference of Churches, Jose Chipenda, defending the government and blaming the mass killings on its opponents, the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Ruhumuliza wrote that the Rwandan prime minister, Jean Kambanda, and members of his cabinet were touring Rwanda to appeal for unity and peace when in fact they were whipping up the killing. Kambanda and several members of his cabinet were subsequently convicted of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

In June 1994, Ruhumuliza and the Anglican archbishop of Rwanda, Augustin Nshamihigo, held a press conference in Kenya in which they claimed the RPF was leading the massacres and that the government was attempting to stop the killing.

Nshamihigo's successor as archbishop, Emmanuel Kolini, accused Ruhumuliza of collaborating with the Hutu extremist government as an "errand boy" and described the Anglican church in Rwanda during the genocide as "corrupt".

African Rights accused Ruhumuliza of refusing shelter to Tutsis who were facing imminent death. It said he worked in collaboration with another Anglican bishop, Samuel Musabyimana, who was later charged with genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda but died before trial. African Rights said Ruhumuliza failed to attempt to save people after another Anglican bishop, Adoniya Sebununguri, called a group of Tutsis "wicked people" who deserved to be killed. until 2006 and was a curate in Elmley Lovett with Hampton Lovett and Elmbridge &c., in Ombersley with Doverdale, and in Hartlebury from 2012. He lives in Droitwich and has had permission to officiate in the neighbouring Diocese of Birmingham since 2013.

In 2014, following a report in The Observer

The Church of England said it was not fully aware of the "disturbing" accusations against Ruhumuliza. He was placed on "special leave" by mutual agreement. The Church of England said it had launched an investigation but did not publicly announce the results.

Ibuka, the genocide survivors' association in Rwanda, criticised the Church of England for failing to scrutinise Ruhumuliza's past closely enough.