Diocese of Butare
diocese of the Catholic Church in Rwanda
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Butare is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda. It was erected on 11 September 1961 as the Diocese of Astrida by Pope John XXIII, and was later renamed as the Diocese of Butare on 12 November 1963 by Pope Paul VI. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kigali.
Phillipe Rukamba was appointed Bishop of Butare by Pope John Paul II on 2 January 1997.
A prominent priest of this diocese was Monsignor Eulad Rudahunga, serving from 1953 to 2019, and made a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.
On 12 August 2024, Pope Francis appointed Jean Bosco Ntagungira as bishop.
The public source identifies “Diocese of Butare” as diocese of the Catholic Church in Rwanda. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Diocese, Butare and diocese.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Diocese of Butare”, the useful work is to connect “diocese of the Catholic Church in Rwanda” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q867449. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1961, 1963, 1997 and 1953.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Diocese of Butare”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Diocese of Butare primary sources, Diocese of Butare archive and Diocese research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Diocese of Butare”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Diocese of Butare” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.