wfn.org | [ENS] Shock, sadness follow murder of Taiz

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Shock, sadness follow murder of Taizé founder Brother Roger

ENS 081705-1

[Episcopal News Service] The 90-year-old founder of the ecumenical
Taizé
community, Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche?known to the world simply as
Frère
Roger or Brother Roger?died August 16 during evening prayer in the
Church of
Reconciliation, struck down by a knife wielded by a mentally disturbed
Romanian woman who emerged from the crowd of 2,500 worshippers.

Taizé officials said the woman had arrived two days earlier at the
community, located near Macon in Burgundy, France. A local prosecutor
said
the woman, reportedly 36 years old, bought the knife the day before. "It
would appear for now there is little doubt that this was
premeditated,? he
told reporters, adding that she was not "unbalanced enough to justify
psychiatric care." People at the service grabbed the woman and turned
her
over to police.

Brother Roger?s funeral will take place on Tuesday, August 23. Until
then,
his body will be placed in the church each afternoon ?so that all who
wish
may go and meditate close by him.?

The Swiss Protestant monk?s sudden and tragic death prompted an
outpouring
of grief from Anglican leaders around the world.

?Having first visited Taizé more than forty years ago as a student,
and
having followed its unfolding as a community of witness to God's
reconciling
power and love, and knowing how much it owes to the vision and prayer of
its
founder, Brother Roger, I am profoundly distressed by his death and the
manner in which it occurred,? said Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold.
?For
such a man of peace to meet a violent end while at prayer with his
brothers
and young pilgrims recalls the mystery of the Cross in stark and
unambiguous
terms.

?Some years ago Brother Roger inscribed the Sign of the Cross in the
palm of
my hand, urging me to remain young in heart,? Griswold continued.
?May his
youthful spirit and unwavering hope, rooted so deeply in Christ, be his
continuing legacy both to his community and to the churches as they seek
to
embody the unity for which Christ prayed in order that the world may
believe.

?Roger, having died in Christ, now lives in Christ. Amen. Alleluia.

"This is an indescribable shock. Brother Roger was one of the best-loved
Christian leaders of our time, and hundreds of thousands will be feeling
his
loss very personally, and remembering him in prayer and gratitude,
said
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. "But the shock and trauma for
the
community at Taizé will be heavy - and it will be for all the young
people
who witnessed this event. All of them are in our prayers."

?The news of the death of Brother Roger has saddened Anglicans around
the
world, and we are especially shocked by the violent manner of his death,
which was in stark contrast to his lifelong ministry of peace and
reconciliation,? said the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general
of
the Anglican Communion. ?The Taizé community which he founded, whose
witness
to ecumenism and reconciliation especially among young people will be
his
lasting memorial, has influenced Christian worship and spirituality
worldwide, and it is to that Community that I extend our prayers and
heartfelt sympathy at this time.?

?What a dreadful end to one of the finest men on the planet, who did
more
for reconciliation among Christians than anyone else I know,? wrote
Bishop
Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. ?May
he
rest in peace and rise in glory.?

"Brother Roger died as he lived, praying at the centre of his
community,"
said World Council of Churches acting general secretary Geneviève
Jacques,
in a message of condolence sent to the Taizé community.

The Taizé community, founded in 1940 by Brother Roger when he was 25,
became
a safe haven for political refugees and people of all faiths, among them
Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Since the late 1950s, thousands of young
adults
from many countries have come to Taizé to take part in weekly meetings
of
prayer and reflection. More than 100 Taizé brothers, committed to
material
and spiritual sharing, celibacy, and simplicity of life, make visits and
lead meetings in Africa, North and South America, Asia, and in Europe,
as
part of what they call ?a pilgrimage of trust on earth.? Eight years
ago,
Brother Roger designated Brother Alois to succeed him as the person in
charge of the community.

On the morning after his death, the following prayer was read in the
church:

?Christ of compassion, you enable us to be in communion with those who
have
gone before us, and who can remain so close to us. We confide into your
hands our Brother Roger. He already contemplates the invisible. In his
footsteps, you are preparing us to welcome a radiance of your
brightness.