The Accountant-May-June 2017

TID BITS
Pope Francis asks for forgiveness for church’s role in Rwanda genocide
Pontiff acknowledges some Catholic priests and nuns ‘succumbed to hatred and violence’ by taking part in 1994 killings Pope
Francis has asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in the1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 people
were slaughtered in 100 days of violence. The “sins and failings of the church and its members” had “disfigured the face” of
Catholicism, he said. Speaking after meeting the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, the Vatican acknowledged that some
Catholic priests and nuns had “succumbed to hatred and violence” by participating in the genocide. According to the Vatican,
Francis “expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the
face of the church, may contribute to a ‘purification of memory’ and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of
peace”. About 200 priests and nuns – Tutsi and Hutu – were among those slaughtered. But other priests and nuns were
complicit, or even took part, in the violence. Thousands of people were butchered in churches where they sought refuge. An
estimated 5,000 people were killed at the Ntarama Catholic church on 15 August 1994: the site is now one of six major
memorials in Rwanda.
Source: The Guardian
Funding needed to deal with
tuberculosis drug resistance
The World Health Organization (WHO)
points out that poor funding of research is
to blame for the rise in drug resistance cases
of tuberculosis infections. It notes that the
need for research and development of new
antibiotics was the key to tackling the
danger of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is one
of the world’s deadliest, yet preventable
communicable diseases and continues to be a
problem in Africa.
Technological advancement
LG’s Managing Director, East and Central Africa Mr. Janghoon
Chung has pointed out in an informative article in the standard that
electricity is one of the most importance advances that science has given
to mankind. It is very hard to estimate just how important electricity is
to nearly every aspect of modern life, from simple lighting to powering
massive manufacturing. He goes further to note that for countries,
then, securing adequate supplies of electricity is a paramount task. It
is also a prerequisite for creating economic growth… our drive for
energy is accelerating climate change and exacerbating environmental
problems such as acid rain, a global issue that requires innovative
responses.
MAY - JUNE 2017 61