“God went away — and he never came back.”

Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life inspiration for Don Cheadle’s character in Hotel Rwanda (2004; my review), was in Vancouver this past weekend.

I didn’t go to his public lecture, but Katherine Monk of CanWest News Service did, and in her interview, she mentions that Rusesabagina is a former theology student — which was something I had not heard before.

Given that background, the article concludes on a sad note:

As he surveys the quiet safety of the lobby, I ask Mr. Rusesabagina if — given everything he has experienced — he believes in God.

“Before 1994, we used to say God travels the world during the day, but he always returns to sleep in Rwanda. After the genocide, we say God went away — and he never came back.”

FWIW, I wonder if Rusesabagina has ever had a chance to talk theology with Roméo Dallaire, the Canadian general who led the UN troops in Rwanda (and was probably the basis for the Nick Nolte character in the film), and is also a Christian.