A Tribute from London

The Times' Religion Correspondent offers a glowing profile of Frere Roger and Taize:

But where Brother Roger was unique among the world’s great spiritual leaders was his absolute abnegation of any attempt to venerate him as [a living saint].

During a rare interview when he was 85, he told me that as a young man he had actually burned the only autobiography he had written.

In an era seemingly characterised by religious strife, the Taizé community is the one place where spiritual barriers simply collapse in the face of the simple but effective rounds of worship, music and community life.

Given all the current controversies surrounding so many religious leaders, Brother Roger was the last for whom any would have predicted a violent death. His rule, if he had one, was: "Love, and express that with your life."

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