humansofnewyork:
(4/4) “We didn’t lose a single person. After hiding out for three weeks, we were rescued by the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Everyone came running in from the fields. All of us were cheering. In the end, over three hundred people survived the genocide by hiding in this church. I can’t remember all their faces. Life has taken us to many different corners. And some of them have left the country to begin new lives. But many of them still call me father. I’ve given away the bride in several different wedding ceremonies. Occasionally people will randomly show up on my doorstep with drinks. I’ll say to them: ‘You were with us in the church, weren’t you?’ And we’ll embrace. When I look back, I believe the genocide could have been stopped if more pastors had taken a stand. We were the ones with influence. The killers belonged to our congregations. And we could have held them back. But instead we did nothing. And every pastor had a different excuse. Some said they didn’t know things would get so bad. Some said they were too afraid. And some said the government was too powerful to oppose. But when you’re standing aside while people die, every excuse is a lame one.”
(Kigali, Rwanda)
