GITEGA June 21st (ABP) – The Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Prosper Bazombaza, called on the Catholic Church to get actively involved in contributing to the implementation of the vision of the Burundian Government, to make the Burundi, an emerging country in 2040 and a developed country like Western countries in 2060.
Mr. Bazombaza delivered those remarks on Saturday June 17 2023 on the occasion of the opening ceremonies of the jubilee year of 125 years of the Catholic parish of Mugera, located in Bugendana commune, Gitega province (center of the country).
Mr. Bazombanza praised the contributions of the Catholic Church in the development of Burundi and encouraged it to maintain the same momentum, promising that the Burundian government will remain by its side.
He asked the parishioners of Mugera to strengthen their faith in God while remaining glued to the development activities of their households and the country. In this way, he said, “your mouths will have something to eat and your pockets, money”, as the slogan of the Burundi Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye advocates.
Mr. Bazombaza asked the same parishioners to rely on the teachings of the Catholic Church to do cut short with obscurantist practices.
The ceremonies began with Mass led by Bonaventure Nahimana, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Gitega. In his homily, he praised the bravery of the white missionaries who established that parish in 1899, at the same time, the first Catholic cathedral in Burundi.
Bishop Nahimana said that those missionaries transformed the beliefs of the people. They became children of God, he said, before adding that, before, they were bogged down in witchcraft.
Furthermore, Bishop Nahimana indicated that the opening of the jubilee year is an opportunity to reflect on the step taken by the said parish and to project future prospects.
He called on the parishioners and friends of the parish to actively invest in the rehabilitation of the destroyed towers which were the pride of that parish, which parish is also the mother of all the parishes of the archdiocese of Gitega.
Note that the Mass was attended by a large crowd including the natives of that parish from different parts of the country.