It was erected on 11 September 1961 as the Diocese of Astrida by Pope John XXIII, and was later renamed as the Diocese of Butare on 12 November 1963 by Pope Paul VI.

Phillipe Rukamba was appointed Bishop of Butare by Pope John Paul II on 2 January 1997.

A prominent priest of this diocese was Monsignor Eulad Rudahunga, serving from 1953 to 2019, and made a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

On 12 August 2024, Pope Francis appointed Jean Bosco Ntagungira as bishop.

This article on a Roman Catholic diocese in Africa is a stub.