The Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Rwanda, Antoine Cardinal Kambanda, has appealed to relevant government authorities to ensure that churches which meet the required standards are reopened so that Christians can resume communal worship.
He made the call during his Christmas Mass homily delivered on the evening of Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
The Mass was celebrated at St Michael’s Cathedral, located in the Archdiocese of Kigali, and was presided over by Cardinal Kambanda alongside other clergy, including a bishop from Uvira.
Cardinal Kambanda reminded Christians that Christmas is a celebration of peace, not an occasion for excessive drinking, drunkenness, or violence.
He noted that Christmas 2025 comes at a time when faith is facing various challenges, including violations of people’s rights and the continued closure of churches of different denominations.
Against this backdrop, Cardinal Kambanda urged those responsible for regulating places of worship to make every effort to reopen churches that have complied with the set requirements.
“Once again, we appeal to those concerned to do everything possible to ensure that churches which meet the standards are reopened, so that God’s people may gather and pray together,” he said.
During the same Mass, the Cardinal also announced that construction of a new St Michael’s Cathedral will begin in 2026. He expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic for his support in making the project possible.
The new cathedral will be built using modern standards and will replace the current St Michael’s Church in Kiyovu, which was constructed more than a century ago and is now too small to accommodate large congregations.
“Let us build a church worthy of the City of Kigali, which has made remarkable progress,” he said.
This Christmas also marked 125 years since the Catholic Church began celebrating Christmas in Rwanda, following the arrival of the Gospel in the country.
Elsewhere across Kigali, Christians from different parts of the city gathered in various churches to celebrate the major Christian feast of Christmas.
