Pope John Paul II called for greater international efforts to bring peace to Africa's Great Lakes region as he marked the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda.
During his weekly appearance last Sunday in St. Peter's Square, the pope recalled that fighting broke out April 7, 1994, between Hutus and Tutsis, in which "barbarically hundreds of thousands of people were killed."
"We pray to the Lord that such a tragedy never repeats itself," he said.
"To you dear people, to you religious and civil leaders, and to all of you in the international community generously committed to bringing peace in the beloved Great Lakes region, I say: Don't get discouraged! Be builders of a civilization of love, filled with the word of the Lord," he said.
More than 500,000 people were killed during Rwanda's 100-day genocide, most of them minority Tutsis and politically moderate members of the Hutu majority.
Africa's Great Lakes region includes Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania. Congo and Burundi are both emerging from years of civil war; fighting continues in eastern Congo despite peace deals.