April 20, 2008

Is it wrong to keep a Director General and a Bishop waiting on the same day?

After Sunday lunch, Francis asked if the team would like to join him for coffee at Bourbon Coffee, a very upscale (and therefore very unique) business launched by a highly entrepreneurial businessman who I will highlight in an upcoming blog. The Director General left in his car, and as we were about to leave, the hotel at which we were staying apologetically told us that we needed to leave within the hour. Apparently, a high number of UN officials descended on the building and pulled rank on our little group. I sarcastically quipped, "The UN. They're not here when you need them and here when you don't."

The quick packing up of rooms made us late for the waiting governmental official which, in turn, made us late for our dinner with John Rucyahana, the Bishop of Rwanda (pictured right with GRDP President, Chris Hills).

The Bishop was joined by his wife Harriett, daughter Joy (who just graduated law school and wants to start a group practice in Rwanda), and about 20 business leaders across all sectors. Having read his book, The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones, on the flight over, I was eager to hear him speak.

In his book, Bishop John, as he is affectionately known, presents a comprehensive analysis of Rwanda's history and a candid (and at times graphic) description of the genocide itself. Consistent with the message of the government, the Bishop preaches that reconciliation is the only path that Rwandans can take. As an interesting side note, I found incredible similarities between the text in the Bishop's book and the written materials at the government's genocide memorial site. It is clear that the government and the church are very much aligned in their interpretation of the genocide and the mandate for national reconciliation.

An eloquent and metaphorical speaker, Bishop Rucyahana has described Rwanda as a country "cleansed in blood," that the genocide is a "blessing from God" that has brought the ethnic groups together, and that he preaches the need for forgiveness from a "pile of bones." Having lost his niece in a gruesome genocidal slaying, Bishop John knows anger and the desire for revenge. He also preaches about the destructive nature of these feelings, on individual, group, and country levels.

In his book, he described how he came to his own reconciliation with God around the genocide. "Where was God when a million innocent people were being butchered? Where was God when priests and pastors helped massacre the people in their churches? I will tell you where God was. He was alongside the victims lying on the cold stone floor of the cathedrals. He was comforting a dying child, he was crying at the altar. But he was also saving lives. Many were saved by miracles. God does not flee when evil takes over a nation. He speaks to those who are still listening, he eases the pain of the suffering, and he saves those who can be saved."

In his opening and closing remarks and prayers, the Bishop talked about how the genocide decimated everything in Rwanda except one thing. Hope. He encouraged business leaders to be transparent with themselves and others about the reality of their need for help, yet he told them in so doing that they should never let themselves ever be colonized again. "Never sacrifice your vision," he emphasized.

After dinner, Bishop John invited us to join him at breakfast the following morning. He continued his message to us from the night before, offering his blessings, encouragement, friendship, and love. His parting requests were to take Rwanda's hope back to the United States and, in return, bring back more friends who can build models of business and human service that can help realize the dream they have for their country and its next generations.