According to the indictment read at the hearing on the same date, a few hours before the ruling, the Catholic priest was prosecuted for having preached hatred against Tutsis in his sermons, persecuted Tutsis in public and killed Jeanne Francoise Kamikazi who had sought refuge in the Ndera parish, in April 1994, according to the newspaper.
In his defence, the clergyman refuted all these allegations, stressing that he did nothing but preach love between his faithful and gave advice to them, reports Izuba.
The priest, who was dressed in a pink Rwandan prisoner outfit, has been imprisoned since his first instance verdict in June.
According to an official of the Catholic Church present the day of the appeal verdict, Abbot Gakuba had been hospitalized for several days for psychiatric problem in 1973 but was later discharged, continues the newspaper.
The role of the Rwandan Catholic Church in the genocide of 1994 is very controversial. Several priests, clergymen and nuns have been convicted for having participated in genocide but the church has always refused to recognize any institutional responsibility.
NI/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency
