By RFIPosted on 07-10-2019Modified on 07-10-2019 at 19:12
In Rwanda, an American evangelical missionary was arrested on 7 October for disturbing public order. Pastor Gregg Schoof was arrested when he was preparing to give a press conference about his church and radio, shut down by the government a year ago.
Missionary Gregg Schoof had been in the crosshairs of the Rwandan authorities for almost two years, initially for a sermon aired on his radio, during which a presenter called the women " demons ".
The media authority suspended the radio and asked the pastor to pay a fine and apologize, which he refused, saying the words had been taken out of context. His radio and his church were then banned and his visa was not renewed.
Nearly 700 evangelical churches closed
On October 7, when he was soon to leave the country with his family, Gregg Schoof tried a final press conference to denounce the attitude of the Rwandan authorities. He was immediately arrested, along with his son and two journalists. According to the police spokesman, he was arrested for organizing an illegal meeting with journalists in a public space and without permission.
This missionary, who has been living in Rwanda for 15 years, is not at his first confrontation with the government. In particular, he criticized the teaching of the theory of evolution in schools, the distribution of condoms and the relaxation of restrictions on abortion.
Last year, Kigali closed nearly 700 sects and evangelical churches, officially because they did not comply with security standards.
► See also: The financial generosity of American churches towards Africa
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