Pope Francis: Never forget Rwandan genocide

By Joseph Tulloch

"That genocide was terrible, it was terrible. Never forget it, so it can never happen again."

Those were Pope Francis' words on Saturday morning as he met with a group from the Italian non-profit Nolite Timere (‘Do not fear’).

The organisation raises funds for an orphanage in Mbare, Rwanda, founded to serve children orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

25 years of solidarity

Nolite Timere's slogan, Pope Francis noted, is ‘Giving the hope to start again.’

“To start again”, the Pope repeated. “This is beautiful, and it is beautiful that you have lived it out in such a tangible way, welcoming hundreds of children to the Cité.”

The Cité of Nazareth, an orphanage just outside the Rwandan capital Kigali, was founded by Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Papal nuncio in the country from 1998 to 2003. According to Nolite Timere’s website, the Cité currently hosts 429 orphans and poor children from across the country.

“For a quarter of a century,” Pope Francis said, “you have been working together for children, with an open spirit and unconditional love, united by a common desire to give them a smile and a hope for the future.”

Friendship, not walls

The Pope also reflected on the Cité's logo, which, he noted, “depicts a Rwandan basket, a symbol of solidarity and sharing.”

“This reminds us,” the Pope said, that “in a world where walls and divisions between people and between peoples are multiplying, charity has no barriers.”

Nolite Timere, which is based in Italy, regularly sends both financial support and volunteer groups to the Cité. 

“War and weapons take away children's smiles and futures,” the Pope stressed. “This is why it is beautiful that you aim to create opportunities for friendship, giving rise to relationships that last … transcending differences in age, nationality, culture and social status.”