Poland's President Duda visits Rwanda's Kibeho Marian Shrine

On an official tour of three Eastern African countries, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has visited Rwanda's Marian Shrine of Kibeho.

President Duda's official itinerary to Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania seeks to renew bilateral relations with the Eastern African countries and strengthen development and military cooperation as well as trade interests in agriculture and financial technologies.

A historic visit to Kibeho

On Thursday this week, the Polish President, in the company of First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, visited Rwanda's Catholic Marian shrine of Kibeho.

Rwanda's civic and Catholic leaders warmly welcomed the President and his delegation to Kibeho.

Father Harerimana Francis, Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho, described the visit as historic and the first visit by a Head of State to the sanctuary.

The Apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho

Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine, also known as Our Lady of Sorrows, is located in the southern part of Rwanda, in the administrative district of Nyaruguru.

Kibeho is best known as a place of apparitions and pilgrimages. The first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary was on 28 November 1981, when Alphonsine Mumureke, a student of Kibeho High School, saw a lady of incomparable beauty appear before her. The Blessed Virgin Mary presented herself under the name of "Nyina wa Jambo" -mother of the Word.

Today, the Kibeho Shrine attracts thousands of devout pilgrims from all over the world.

Vatican News with Fr Fidele Mutabazi in Kigali
Source: vaticannews.va/en