Pope Francis on Monday begged forgiveness for the "sins and failings of the Church and its members" during Rwanda's 1994 genocide, and told Rwanda's president that he hoped his apology would help the country heal.
In an extraordinary statement after Francis's meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican acknowledged that the Church itself bore blame, as well as some Catholic priests and nuns who "succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission" by participating in the genocide.
