Catholic Church in Burundi

The Catholic Church in Burundi is part of the worldwide Catholic Church. There are about four million Catholics, around two-thirds of the total population. During the colonial period, the Catholic Church did not promote ethnic divisions, but the Belgiums and Germans primarily favored the Tutsi when it came to mission services. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Church supported the Hutus, and as a result, some of the privileges they had previously enjoyed were revoked. In 1987, all of the Catholic schools and radio stations in the country were closed, and the Church was accused of being a hindrance to the Hutu. The Catholic Church is now the largest religion in the nation, followed by the Anglican Church and the Methodist Church. It is the only one of the seven dioceses that has not been taken over by the Catholic church in the last 50 years, and it is still under the control of the Pope. The Church is also the largest employer of women, with more than 100,000 women working for the church in recent years. It also has the largest number of men, with over 50,000 men working for it.