I ended the article with a plea that they also show a video on how one wishes that a similar video, showing how churches and ordinary people go the next step, to heal those child soldiers and those scarred by war.
Well, this thoughtful article shows the "African" way of forgiveness that can heal countries.
excerpt:
headsup FT
“What has happened to my country since the killing ended? When we regained control, did we avenge ourselves against our oppressors? Did we retaliate against our neighbors? No, love enveloped the country. A love and forgiveness that, I like to think, only a heavenly Mother could instill in her children. All this happened without the intervention of the great superpowers and developed countries. The United Nations did nothing. They have been very vocal after the fact, but when men were killing their neighbors, they locked themselves in their camps.
“Our horror started through hate and indifference. It has ended with love and forgiveness. That is a miracle on a scale that is almost never seen. Yet many in the world are blind to such miracles. It was the hand of God, through the Blessed Mother’s intervention, that saved Rwanda — and that I believe with all my heart. Indifference has been erased in Rwanda. When it was all said and done, there could be no indifference. It was too personal. Just as our brutality was personal, our recovery was personal.
“Men asked for forgiveness face-to-face. We deal with our countrymen who committed the atrocities on a village level. If a man killed his neighbor, he goes to the family and asks for forgiveness. The village council will decide a penance; usually the man will work as a laborer for that family for a prescribed period of time. Once the penance is complete, the man is free. In this way, he can see the consequences of his crime by interacting with the family, and the family can see their former oppressor in a state of humility. That humility often softens their hearts and quenches any desire for vengeance. As simple as it sounds, it has worked. None but the worst are sentenced to jail and we have abandoned the death penalty. Forgiveness is granted and old wounds are being healed.
“I like to believe that Rwanda’s recovery has happened for some divine purpose. Perhaps we were being prepared for some great task. That was why the Blessed Mother of God visited our insignificant country. It was to tell us that our sacrifice would not be in vain. It would show the world the dangers of indifference, and our recovery would show the world the power of forgiveness compared to the destruction of revenge.
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