Release #52 {2916} April 25, 1996
DENVER (UMNS) -- A dramatic telephone call linked the 998 General Conference delegates here April 25 with United Methodist Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, who was denied an entry visa to attend the conference by the U.S. State Department.
Ndoricimpa, bishop of Eastern/Central Africa -- Burundi Annual Conference, was reportedly accused of running arms by the U.S. government. When the conference communicated with him, he was in Nairobi, Kenya.
Bishop Dan Solomon of Oklahoma City, president of the Board of Global Ministries' World Division, issued a "profound apology" to the Burundian Bishop for the denial of a visa preventing him from being with the worldwide congregation here.
Delegates asked the bishop questions about the condition of Burundian refugees, the type of assistance needed to alleviate their suffering and the condition of the church there.
Responding to Lamark Cox, a lay delegate from Liberia, the bishop said conditions in Burundi are similar to Liberia today. "The people in power in Burundi are a minority group," he said. "It is similar to the group in control of Liberia."
"Our churches are growing," Ndorcimpa said. "God has been taking care of our people."
-- Linda Green
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