Diocese of Butare

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.

Country Rwanda

Ecclesiastical provinceSouthern

Area1,958 km² (756 sq mi)

Population

• Total

• Catholics

• (as of 2021)

• 1,269,540

• 691,850(est.) (54.5%%)

Quick facts Diocese of Butare Dioecesis Butarensis, Location ...

Diocese of Butare Dioecesis Butarensis
Easter Mass 2021 at Butare
Location
Country	Rwanda
Ecclesiastical province	Southern
Statistics
Area	1,958 km2 (756 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 1,269,540 691,850(est.) (54.5%%)
Parishes	26
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Jean Bosco Ntagungira
Bishops emeritus	Philippe Rukamba
Map
Website
www.butarecatholicdiocese.com

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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.^[1]