When the Parish Priest of Butare Catholic Church, Celestine Rwirange came to work on Tuesday November 28, he was struck by what he saw.
At the top of the sanctuary wall, his other sense, sight, compounded the situation. The tabernacle—a highly decorative locked box designed to store consecrated hosts for Communion—was missing.
The burglary is thought to have taken place on Tuesday November 28th, from the Center that Cares for the Elderly, and managed by the nuns in Tumba, Huye District, was stolen.
He didn’t want to say much about the burglary, but said, “It’s really shameful”
One of the Nuns who manages the center, Soeur Julienne Mukarwego, says that the thieves took away the tabernacle and the sacrament of the Eucharist, along with the austentoire that was in it.
Sister Mukarwego noted that the taberanukuro was stolen by thieves. “We have security trying to help us figure out who stole it,” she pointed oout
“The wooden tabernakuro is not as expensive as the austentoire, a tool made of metal and glass that Jesus was placed in when he was buried.” she explained.
She added that it was obvious, they came with tools to be able to do that, we all just thought that a sacred space would never be violated.
