Ecumenical Leader (Brother Roger) Slain in Church

[papau]

With the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Brother Roger co-wrote "Meditations on the Way of the Cross" in 1986.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-brother18aug18,0,2689660.story?track=tottext

THE WORLD
Ecumenical Leader Slain in Church
The 90-year-old founder of the Taize community is stabbed during a service. 'We won't forget his message,' France's interior minister says.
By Sebastian Rotella and Larry Stammer
Times Staff Writers

August 18, 2005

PARIS — Church leaders and politicians joined an outpouring of sorrow Wednesday for the slaying of Brother Roger, the renowned founder of a French ecumenical community who died after a woman stabbed him during evening prayers.

The frail 90-year-old monk died shortly after the attack Tuesday night at the headquarters of the community in Taize in the south of the Burgundy region. His assailant was a 36-year-old Romanian who had tried to join the community this month, authorities said Wednesday.

"He was a man of peace," French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said. "He had managed to establish a spiritual dialogue between the Catholic Church and other churches. We won't forget his message."

The news reached Pope Benedict XVI at his retreat at Castel Gandolfo on the eve of his departure for World Youth Day ceremonies in Cologne, Germany. Expressing sorrow and horror, the pope said that only a day earlier he had received a "very moving and very friendly letter" from Brother Roger saying that although his health would not permit him to attend the event, "with all his heart he would be with the pope and all others who were in Cologne."<snip>

[papau]

1. Emad's DU post on this event is below:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=226x2658

Pope mourns prior killed at prayer

August 18, 2005

Pope mourns prior killed at prayer
By Charles Bremner
World leaders have paid tribute to a peace pastor who attracted young people



CHURCH leaders and statesmen were yesterday mourning the death of Roger Schutz, the 90-year-old Swiss prior who devoted his life to bringing Christians of all denominations together at his community in Burgundy, France. He was stabbed by a woman as he led a service on Tuesday night.

Many of the 2,500, mainly young, worshippers witnessed the attack in which a 36-year-old Romanian woman, Luminita Solcan, lunged at Brother Roger’s throat with a large pocket knife. He died within half an hour, despite the aid of a doctor in the congregation.



Brother Emile, who also saw the killing, said: “It happened very fast. There were some screams. We turned around — he was wounded. We carried him out of the church so people didn’t see the terrible part. She slit his throat.”

Brother Roger’s attacker was said to be an aspiring minister who had been refused entry to holy orders by her native church. Father Cornel Cadar, from the woman’s diocese, said that she had suffered from a mental illness for several years.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1739835,00.html