TAIZE FOUNDER MURDERED
Click here for further developments....An ecumenical favorite at the Vatican was stabbed to death by one of his own followers today. Zenit reports....
The founder of the French religious Taizé Community, Brother Roger, was attacked and killed by a mentally disturbed man [CORREX: woman] during vespers, his community said.Multiple wire reports confirm that the attacker was a woman, not a man as reported by Zenit. Details otherwise remain sketchy -- the attack took place at 8.30pm Taize' time; immediate medical assistance was available, yet he succumbed in the community chapel. According to one wire, "Sources close to the 100-strong group said he was about to give up his community functions later this year because of his advanced age."
Roger, 90, was attacked, probably with a knife, during evening prayer today at Taizé, near Cluny, in the eastern Burgundy region, a member of the community told Agence France-Presse.
The Taizé movement started during World War II, when Swiss-born monk Roger Schutz, living in Taizé, provided a refuge for those fleeing the conflict, irrespective of their religion.
Roger, a Protestant with a degree in theology, devoted his life to the reconciliation between Christian denominations.
More from the Australian Wires:
Updated 11.46pmPolice said a woman stood up during a religious ceremony attended by some 2,500 people and stabbed Brother Roger three times in the throat.
The 90-year-old died immediately.
A 36-year-old Romanian woman was overpowered by worshippers and detained, police said.
Roger, a Protestant pastor from Switzerland, enjoyed great respect among religious leaders.
Brother Roger founded the Taize monastic community in 1940 after leaving Switzerland at the age of 25 and buying a small house in the village of Taize, where he welcomed refugees fleeing World War II.Today, the Taize community is made up of more than a hundred brothers, including Catholics and Protestants, from more than 25 nations. The community sees itself as an effort to reconcile divided Christians and separated peoples.
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posted by Rocco Palmo at 23:07
1 Comments:
Very sad, of course: and terrible for the others there. But Br Roger was a man of great faith and inspiration: and he gave his whole life to inspiring others to pray. God bless him in his witness.
Perhaps it is not simplistic to note that he died as a witness at prayer, and such is the greatest thing that any of us can do!
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