Anglican Communion News Service

The House of Bishops of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda has elected the Rt. Revd Onesphore Rwaje as Archbishop to succeed the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini . He will take over from Archbishop Kolini on December 12, 2010 the latter having served as the Archbishop of Rwanda for the past 12 years.

Bishop Rwaje currently serves as Bishop of Byumba Diocese and Dean of the Province. An official statement said: "The Anglican Church of Rwanda is pleased to announce to all Rwanda Christians, especially Anglican Christians, that during their House of Bishops meeting, which took place on 17 September in the Year of our Lord 2010, Bishop Onesphore Rwaje was elected as the Archbishop-elect of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and Bishop of the new Gasabo Diocese for the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda."

Bishop Rwaje was quoted as saying after his election: “I will put emphasis on what I have been doing, which is spreading the gospel, promoting community development initiatives, and fighting poverty in general.”

The Archbishop-elect promised to lead the House of Bishops for the next five years with humility and spiritual guidance.