Bishop of Bubanza
Emmanuel Ntakarutimana, of the Order of Preachers, was born on December 30, 1956, in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Gitega. After studying philosophy at the Major Seminary of Bujumbura and theology at the Catholic University of Congo in Kinshasa, he obtained a doctorate in fundamental theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He made his first profession in Ibadan, Nigeria, on September 28, 1981, and his perpetual vows in 1984 in Rweza (Burundi); he was ordained a priest in Gitega on August 23, 1987. He has held the following positions: Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Major Seminary of Gitega (1986–1989); Secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (1988–1990); Master of Students at the Dominican Inter-African Formation House in Kinshasa (1991–1993); Councilor to the Superior and Coordinator for Africa for the Dominican Order (1993–1999); Coordinator of the Ubuntu Center for the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Bujumbura (2001–2015); Director of the Episcopal Conference’s Office for Evangelization (2015–2021); and, since 2021, Coordinator of the Council for the establishment of the Catholic University of Burundi.