Pope Francis Appoints Father John Bosco Ntagungira as Bishop of Butare Diocese

August 12, 2024, Pope Francis has appointed Father John Bosco Ntagungira as the new Bishop of Butare Diocese, succeeding Monsignor Philippe Rukamba, who is retiring.

The announcement was made by the Apostolic Nunciature in Rwanda.

Father Ntagungira was born in Kigali on April 3, 1963. He completed his primary education in Kigali and Ruhengeri between 1971 and 1978.

He attended the Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Kigali from 1978 to 1985, and continued his studies at the Major Seminary of Rutongo.

From 1986 to 1993, he studied Philosophy and Theology at the Major Seminary of Nyakibanda. Ordained a priest on August 1, 1993, he became Director of Studies at the Minor Seminary of Ndera and worked at the Major Seminaries of Rutongo, Kabgayi, and Nyakibanda.

He pursued further education in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome from 1994 to 2001, earning both a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law and civil law.

From 2001 to 2002, Father Ntagungira served as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kigali and President of the Diocese Commission for OPM and Christian Unity.

He then served as Director of the Minor Seminary of Saint Vincent in Ndera from 2002 to 2018 and led the Church tribunal shared by the dioceses of Rwanda and the national commission for the Pope’s missionary activities (OPM).

Since late 2018, he has been Parish Priest of Regina Pacis in the Archdiocese of Kigali, where he founded Pacis TV and serves as a judge in the Church tribunal at the Bishops’ Conference of Rwanda.