In recent years, Rwanda has seen a considerable increase in conversions to Holy Orthodoxy.
However, this example demonstrates that the Rwandan government is committed to make life difficult for Christians of all religious traditions while not applying the same harshness to individuals of other religions.
According to media reports, the Rwanda Governance Board continues to close churches that it claims fail to meet conditions established at the start of the year. New restrictions for groups seeking to continue ministry are affecting compliance efforts.
“On checking which churches were included, we learned that all churches are suffering the same fate, and that even churches considered luxurious for local standards have had to close,” a local analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, told World Watch Monitor.
World Watch Monitor discovered that in one community, the chapel was closed while a wedding was taking place.
The couple and all of the guests were simply asked to leave the church during the service, and it was closed. After all of the churches in that parish were closed, another church was prohibited from holding services and other activities (such as home groups) in a school hall.
The church had timber doors and window frames instead of metal, and the roof needed to be elevated “just a little”… One congregation currently meets in a church facility in a different community. Following the closure of their church, members of another congregation walk 20 kilometers to attend church in a neighboring hamlet.
