THE MAIN THEMES OF THE MESSAGE OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE WORD AT KIBEHO
1°. An urgent appeal to the repentance and conversion of hearts: “Repent, repent, repent!” “Convert while there is still time.”
2 °. An assessment of the moral state of the world: “The world conducts itself very badly”. “The world hastens to its ruin, it will fall into the abyss”, in other words, “it is plunged into innumerable and unrelenting disasters”. “The world is rebellious against God, it commits too many sins, it has neither love nor peace”. “If you do not repent and do not convert your hearts, you will fall into the abyss.”
3 °. The deep sorrow of the Virgin Mary: The visionaries said to have seen the Virgin Mary in tears on August 15th, 1982. The Mother of the Word is greatly afflicted because of the unbelief and impenitence of people. She complains about our bad behavior, characterized by a dissolution of morals, complacency in evil and continual disobedience to God’s Commandments..
4 °. Faith and unbelief will come unseen. This is one of the mysterious words spoken more than once by Our Lady in the early days of the apparitions, with a request to repeat it to people.
5 °. The suffering that saves: This subject is among the most important among the revelations in Kibeho. Suffering, which is unavoidable in this life, is necessary for Christians to attain eternal glory. On May 15th, 1982, the Virgin Mary said: “No one will reach heaven without suffering,” or, “A child of Mary does not reject suffering.” But suffering is also a means of expiating for the sin of the world and of participating in the sufferings of Jesus and Mary for the salvation of the world. Kibeho is thus a reminder of the place of the cross in the life of the Christian and of the Church.
6 °. Pray always and without hypocrisy: People are not praying, and those who do pray, do not pray as they should. Mary asks to pray in abundance for the whole world, to teach others to pray, and to pray for those who do not pray themselves. Mary begs us to pray with greater zeal and purity of heart.
7 °. Marian devotion would be expressed through sincere and regular praying of the rosary.
8 °. The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary: The Blessed Virgin Mary loves this rosary. Well known in the past, it had been forgotten. Our Lady of Kibeho desires for it to be renewed and spread in the Church. However, this prayer does not replace the Holy Rosary.
9 °. Our Lady wants a chapel built in memory of her apparition at Kibeho. It’s a theme that goes back to the apparition of January 16, 1982, and returns several times during that year, with new developments.
10 °. Pray unceasingly for the Church, for great tribulations await her in the times to come.
(Cfr: Declaration by the Bishop of Gikongoro concerning the “apparitions of Kibeho, Gikongoro, June 29, 2001)