Why did Jean-Baptiste Bagaza’s government restrict the Roman Catholic Church in Burundi?

The government of Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, which led Burundi’s Second Republic from 1976 to 1987, restricted the Roman Catholic Church because the Tutsi-controlled administration believed the church’s policies favored the Hutu population over the Tutsi minority.123

Seeking to bring the institution firmly under state control, the government actively repressed the church's activities and attempted to curtail its social and educational influence within the country. This tension reflected broader ethnic divisions in Burundi, where the church was frequently viewed by many Tutsi as a potentially subversive institution.123