A letter dated April 4th signed by Bishop Servilien Nzakamwita of Byumba Catholic Diocese has been circulating on social media lately. The letter was calling for help for priests and bishops who survived on church offertory that have been halted for weeks since government stopped congregating in churches as a means to enforce social distance. “During COVID-19 lockdown, everyone is obliged to stay home, thus, we no longer collect offerings that were the only way to sustain our survival,” the letter reads. This has elicited public debate with many questioning whether an institution considered to be among the richest in the world would fail to provide means of survival for its clergy. Byumba Diocese is one of many that have been severely hit by COVID-19 lockdown. Bishop Phillipe Rukamba, Head of the Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda, sheds more light about the letter and how the situation left priests in a tight spot. “Only friends, families or personal savings are what can be our source of survival. Church activities almost froze, Christians have nothing to offer, bishops and priests are now on their own,” he explained. Bishop Rukamba added that the government and different institutions are initiating support schemes to help poor families. “Unfortunately, priests and bishops are not considered among the vulnerable.” Easter Sunday was one of the biggest days in terms of offertory, due largely to the spikes in attendance they typically see, according to church officials. This years Easter service was different with very little offerory collected. The Catholic Church is probably not the most hit. Bishop Nathan Amoti of Kigali Anglican Diocese told The New Times that the church is now getting less than one percent of offerings it used to get. Bishop Amoti revealed that the church is using reserves but all activities have stopped. “The church is currently at a standstill. We are only looking forward to the lockdown to end, otherwise, the situation will get worse,” he said. Christians most hit Employees who were involved in for instance hospitality and transportation sectors were the most hit. Thousands of Christians are stuck at home and their sources of income were drained, and with no hope of returning to work even after the deadly virus has been contained. Caritas Rwanda, a Catholic-based charity organization, has spent over Rwf100 million in support to vulnerable Christians. Bishop Rukamba detailed that the church has initiatives to support vulnerable families. “There are some church members whose jobs were completely halted. Especially hand-to-mouth jobs such as motorcyclists or non-essential shop owners. We basically give them foodstuff and they are many of them,” he explained. Four Square Gospel Church located in Kigali, has experienced the same financial crisis. Although it has shifted most of its activities online, the church uses offerings collected from online services and reserves to support some members of church. However, the church council recognizes how pastors are struggling since the single source of income has stopped. “For now, we have been ideally supporting Christians but the church is discussing how, if lockdown prolongs farther than April 19th, church leaders can be supported as well,” Masengo explained. For three weeks, Rwanda has been under lockdown where only essential services have been operating. Public gatherings were banned, including churches. Churches alternatively shifted their services online and used virtual tools to continue spreading the gospel. The lockdown is expected to end on April 19th.
