NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      BUJUMBURA, Rwanda (CWNews.com) -- The Catholic bishops of Burundi have refused to meeting with the visiting President of Rwanda, as a form of protest after the arrest of a Rwandan bishop.

      The Burundi bishops-- together with the country's papal nuncio, Archbishop Emile Tscherrig-- said that they would not attend official ceremonies during the visit by Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu to their country this week. They said their decision to boycott the official state visit reflects their "astonishment" over the arrest of Archbishop Augustine Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda.

      Archbishop Misago was arrested after President Bizimungu charged him with participating in the genocidal killings that occurred in Rwanda in 1994. Bishop Simon Ntamwana of Gitega, the head of the Burundi episcopal conference, said that the bishops wished to express their "moral and spiritual support" for their imprisoned brother in Rwanda.