Clerics in various parts of the City of Kigali extended sympathy to the people of Kenya in their Easter Sunday messages yesterday.

At St Etienne Cathedral Kigali, the Anglican Bishop of Kigali Diocese, Louis Muvunyi, prayed for peace in Kenya and Burundi and encouraged Christians to keep praying for the two countries.

In Kenya, some 147 people, mainly students, were killed when Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab terrorists attacked Garissa University last Thursday.

Kenya is holding three days of national mourning for the victims of the attack, with Easter masses dedicated to the memory of the victims.

Tensions are rising in Burundi ahead of the upcoming general elections, due May, with some civilians fleeing into Rwanda last week.

"We pray that God keeps peace in our country and restores peace in those countries which are being attacked by the evil people, killing innocent lives,” Muvunyi said.

Muvunyi’s comments were echoed by the Catholic Archbishop of Kigali Diocese, Thaddee Ntihinyurwa, who called on Christians to be committed to Jesus by extending compassion and love instead of hatred that would lead to war and insecurity.

"Be committed to Godliness always; praying and serving with humility, and love one another just as God did when He sent His son to die for us, through this, we shall have peace in our families and the communities around us,” Ntihinyurwa said.

Bishop Dieudone Vuningoma, of Zion Temple Gatenga, urged Christians not to shy away from evil but rather fight for honesty and diligence in their daily lives.

He cited Psalms 23:4.

At the St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of violence in his traditional Easter Sunday message.

The Pope ended the address consoling the marginalised, the poor, the sick and the suffering.

Free Genocide counselling

Meanwhile, Apostle Joshua Masasu’s Evangelical Restoration Church in Masoro Cell, Ndera Sector, will offer 24/7 free counselling service during this year’s commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Pastor Francis Mutabazi, of Christ Gospel Fellowship Church in Kimironko, said the time has come for Rwandans to stand together as they commemorate Genocide, noting that Jesus’ resurrection should be a reminder that God has the power to save, and grant hope to the hopeless.

"I encourage all of us to be strong as we enter the time of mourning and commemorating our beloved ones who perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Jesus’ resurrection is an assurance that we will live again (even after death),” Mutabazi said.

Bishop Muvunyi urged Rwandans to overcome the country’s tragic history with hope.

"We coincidentally celebrate Easter before the commemoration of the Genocide. This should remind us that even beyond death, we can live again. And just as Jesus did, we also have endured a tragic history to rise again, we can achieve much more if we believe in God,” Muvunyi said.

Easter Sunday is widely observed as "Resurrection Sunday” in Christian circles due to its relation with the resurrection of Jesus.

It is the culmination of all things meaningful, faith and fact, in establishing a relationship with God.

In many churches The New Times visited, Christians shared bread and wine in a Holy Communion which symbolises the ultimate sacrifice God made for sinners.

It is said without this sacrifice, Christianity would be an empty religion. Every purpose of Jesus Christ, His atonement for sin, would have been unfulfilled and the foundation of Christianity fallen apart.

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