Cardinal Antoine Kambanda has praised the late Pope Benedict XVI for his pastoral visits to Africa and the encouragement he gave to the Catholic church on the continent.

The Pope Emeritus died late last month, aged 95.

Also read: Thousands pay tribute to late Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican

In an exclusive interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Kambanda said Benedict XVI’s visits to Africa in 2009 and 2011 were significant, especially due to the messages of peace that he preached there.

"We remember his pastoral visits to Africa. In March 2009, in Cameroon, he presented and initiated the Instrumentum Laboris (working document) for the Second Special Synod of Bishops for Africa (also known as the Second African Synod). We remember his visit to Angola, a country which had suffered war and conflict for many years. His overall message was one of peace and reconciliation. And then there is also the memorable visit to Benin,” said Cardinal Kambanda.

In 2011, during a three days’ visit to Benin, Benedict presented to the African Church a document titled "Africae Munus” (translated as Africa’s Commitment), where he reminded the people about the importance of reconciliation, justice and peace as essential areas of pastoral focus.

Cardinal Kambanda told Vatican News that "Africae Munus” is not really forgotten, as he talked about the importance of its realization.

"It is long-term because it tackles some of the significant challenges faced by African Christianity. These include political violence and conflicts accelerated by ethnic differences when these differences are mismanaged or abused ...Our ethnic and cultural differences are rich and can be harnessed to build nations. These differences are beautiful, just like the different colours of flowers in a garden,” said the prelate of Kigali.

He noted that though Africans receive the Christian faith with enthusiasm, there are things that throw this faith into a crisis, an example of which are the ethnic differences that result from political manipulation.

"When abused for short-sighted political ideas and poor political ideology that seek to divide and rule, this manipulation can destroy nations. Seeing God’s image in the brother or sister who is different from me, who is of a different ethnic origin from mine, becomes a challenge to my faith. The Gospel and my faith call me to receive and welcome the other and serve them despite our differences. So, you see that the vision of the Gospel can be a major challenge to Christians in Africa in the face of divisive ideologies,” he explained.

For Cardinal Kambanda, the Christian is called to look at life as God sees it - with the eyes of brotherly and sisterly love.

"Right here in Rwanda, we have had so many testimonies, among whom we have the family of Cyprien Rugamba and Daphrose Mukasanga, who were martyred because they lived faithfully the Gospel of love contradicting ideological divisions such as the genocide ideology,” he noted.

Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba were a Catholic couple who were killed on April 7, 1994 along with their children at the beginning of the Genocide against the Tutsi.