The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones

In 1994, as his country descended into the madness of genocide, Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana underwent the mind-numbing pain of having members of his church and family butchered. John refused to become a part of the systemic hatred. He founded the Sonrise orphanage and school for children orphaned in the genocide, and he now leads reconciliation efforts between his own Tutsi people, the victims of this horrific massacre, and the perpetrators, the Hutus. His remarkable story is one that demands to be told.

Anglican bishop John Rucyahana (b. 1945; a Tutsi) was elected Bishop of the Shyira diocese of Rwanda in 1997. During his term, John often escaped death, even as many pastors, friends and family members were killed in the ongoing genocide. John works tirelessly for reconciliation in Rwanda: having founded the Sonrise orphanage for children orphaned in the genocide, and ministering in prisons to its perpetrators. He and his wife, Harriet, have five children.