Priest Sentenced in Rwandan Massacres

The BBC reported today that a priest had been sentenced to fifteen years for his participation in the massacre of Tutsi refugees in his church. He ordered Hutu militants to bulldoze the church with all the people inside, and to shoot anyone who tried to escape.

Link to news story:

http://www.afrol.com/articles/22757 An African news source, also reporting on the rape of refugee girls and women by the priest, as well as France's refusal to extradite those who participated in the genocide.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/13/rwanda.priest.ap/ The AP report via CNN, which describes the massacre in more detail and the actions of other priests and nuns.

Myself in training to become a pastor, I think it's stories like these that frighten me most. What was happening inside this priest's mind when he committed this terrible act? What did he believe he would gain? What caused him to leave behind the Great Commandment?

Of course, clergy have done terrible things in many war zones around the world, particularly noted are those in this past century. There also of course are the many good clergy who acted justly and generously under great personal risk to themselves to protect the vulnerable.

I am still in search of a satisfying answer. It doesn't seem enough to say that clergy are people with (broken) morals, just like everyone else. Is it really only up to chance and individual conscience?