Father Herménégilde Icoyitungiye, who officiated at the conclusion of Lent at Mont Sion Gikungu, seized the opportunity to protest and appeal against the abuses committed in Burundi. The sermon did not please everyone.
Father Herménégilde:”When your friend or relative dies, you are told to keep silent”
The Good Friday was not like other Fridays at the Marian sanctuary of Mont Sion Gikungu in the capital Bujumbura. Father Herménégilde Icoyitungiye begins the mass. On the menu, there is the Way of the Cross and the sermon. He might have not known that his sermon would stir up troubles.
From the outset, he speaks of the cult of silence currently imposed in Burundi. “When one of your relatives dies, you are told to remain silent.” He criticizes the authorities’ speech, which says that peace reigns throughout the country. “This rhetoric deprives the population of their right to mourn for theirs. It has become a taboo, “says the priest before a crowd of dignitaries and Christians who have come to conclude the 40 days of Lent.
Father Herménégilde Icoyitungiye regrets that human life is no longer of value in Burundi, as evidenced by the killings reported here and there. “On the cross, Jesus asks why no one seems to be sympathetic to his death. He says:”I am being mistreated and some people continue to make fun of me saying that peace reigns. I am starving and they continue to say that the harvest was good in Burundi, I am facing arbitrariness and yet they say that Burundi is a country where justice prevails ».
The priest also denounces inaction
In his preaching, Father Herménégilde Icoyitungiye also speaks of corruption: “I died because of the corruption of Judas and the others chant zero tolerance policy on corruption even as people continue to live in misery. For Father Herménégilde, the most important thing is to see considerable amounts of money invested in financing killings, instead of getting the people out of poverty and protecting them.
In his sermon, he speaks of the inaction of people in the face of oppression. “Know that this Jesus for whom you mourn today is beside you all the time. He is in the person who is being persecuted while you are silent or involved in one way or another.”
The priest calls for responsibility for each other.”Let no one say tomorrow or the day after tomorrow that he has carried out an order, having taken someone to the slaughterhouse.”
Addressing the authorities present on holy Friday at Mont Sion, this church father calls on the powerful not to abuse their power to oppress the other.
He also criticizes the fact that bad guys are rewarded. “Today many people cry demanding justice and the executioners are sometimes considered heroes and rewarded for their prowess.”
The Catholic Church in solidarity with Father Herménégilde
Archbishop Simon Ntamwana says the Catholic Church sees no harm in the homily by Father Herménégilde. For him, it has the merit of enlightening the population and the Government on the reality that Burundians are currently living through. “A shepherd must be sensitive to the suffering of his sheep and bring them light and hope. According to him, the Good News must be given to all including politicians. The Archbishop adds that the Church advocates biblical teachings inspired by the daily life of Christians. “If something goes wrong in the country and that the evil raised by Father Herménégilde exists, why not to talk about it when it touches the wounds of those it is supposed to heal? Wondered the archbishop of Gitega.
As for threats of death that Father is receiving, the archbishop warns against any attack on Father Herménégilde. “If anything happens to him, rest assured the guilty will not go unpunished.”
Simon Ntamwana reminds what happened to him when he protested against the term of President Pierre Nkurunziza. He says: “A man of God should not be afraid to speak for his people. We are ready to die for the Good News, like martyrs. ”
Reactions
Willy Nyamitwe: “Their homilies imbued with politics are very shocking.”
The Senior Advisor to President Pierre Nkurunziza strongly denounces both the homily of Father Herménégilde and the supportive position of the Church expressed by Bishop Simon Ntamwana. “I do not know if it is to show to the public, once again, his political quintessence that Prelate Ntamwana comes to the rescue of this Abbot who preferred to leave behind the cassock to talk about politics. For Nyamitwe, “Ntamwana does not represent the Catholic Church, since he is neither the chair of the Episcopal Conference nor a Bishop of Bujumbura diocese where the priest Herménégilde Icoyitungiye performs his ministry.
Concerning the Good Friday homily, the Presidential Advisor describes it as a political homily that reflects the two contradictory morals which some religious leaders confuse. “Linking this homily to Bishop Ntamwana’s words in December 2014 when he clearly stated that President Pierre Nkurunziza was not allowed to run for another term in 2015, Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe said that “their politically imbued homilies are very shocking and constitute a stumbling block for the People of God and are in contradiction with Vatican II, which puts forward the People because it they who profess the faith of the apostles.”
Pacifique Nininahazwe: “Many are silent in front of crimes perpetrated by Bujumbura.”
For this human rights activist, this priest said aloud what everyone is saying only in whispers. “I salute his courage. He reminds me of Pastor Martin Niemoller at the time of Hitler: when they came to arrest the Jews, I kept silent, I was not Jewish … “According to Pacifique Nininahazwe, many are today silent to horrible crimes perpetrated by Bujumbura Government. The next generations shall ask them “where they were during the time of tribulation of their brothers”. On that day, posterity will salute the courage of Father Herménégilde.
Jean de Dieu Mutabazi: “We condemn the deviation of the priest.”
The president of RADEBU party says the priest made partisan and clumsy remarks about the Burundian government.
“We condemn the deviation of the priest.” For Jean de Dieu Mutabazi, what the priest said is baseless especially in the field of human rights. “The first mission of the men of the Church is the healing of souls rather than meddling in politics.”
Léonce Ngendakumana: “The priest knows the sufferings of the population.”
For the vice-president of FRODEBU party, one should not expect lies from a man of God, whom he refers to as a courageous man: “The priest knows very well the plight of the population.” According to Léonce Ngendakumana, the priest has rather touched where it hurts, and his detractors should rather examine themselves and avoid committing the offenses raised by the priest.
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