wfn.org | ACNS3667 Funeral of the seven martyred Melanesian Brothers

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3667     |     MELANESIA	  |	7 NOVEMBER 2003 

Funeral of the seven martyred Melanesian Brothers

[ACNS source: Melanesian Brotherhood] The Investigators from the
combined Australian led intervention force (RAMSI), at present working
to restore peace and justice in the Solomon Islands, managed - in
September - to locate the graves of the seven Melanesian Brothers who
had been murdered on the Weather Coast of Guadalcanal in April of this
year by the militants of Harold Keke. The bodies were exhumed and
brought back to Honiara for a post mortem examination by the Australian
and New Zealand led investigation team. Brother Nathaniel Sado the first
brother to be killed was in a separate grave, his remains revealed signs
of torture and that he had died from injuries sustained over several
days. Three of the brothers who went to look for him had been shot and
killed upon arrival and were buried in a single grave. The other three
who went with them revealed signs that they had also been beaten and
tortured and shot on the following day and were also buried in one
grave. A full investigation has taken place and the investigating team
now believe all those responsible, including Harold Keke and his
henchman Ronnie Karr, have been arrested and face charges of the murder
of these seven Melanesian Brothers. 

The whole nation has mourned the loss of these peacemakers who belonged
to the Anglican Religious Community of the Melanesian Brotherhood. Since
the news of their deaths and the surrender of those responsible there
have been no more acts of murder or hostility to date. The six brothers
had been murdered on 24-25 of April when they had gone to the Weather
Coast to try and find out what had happened Brother Nathaniel Sado who
had been taken hostage and who had been reported murdered. The story of
their deaths was reported on the Anglican Communion News Service in
August of this year.

The Chaplain of the Melanesian Brotherhood describes the funerals, which
have now finally been able to take place at the Motherhouse of the
Melanesian Brotherhood at Tabalia, Solomon Islands:

"On Wednesday 5 November our Assistant Head Brother, Robin Lindsay from
Papua New Guinea, was laid to rest beside the six Solomon Island
Brothers with whom he had died and who had been buried on the 24
October. There was a great sense of peace in the community as on
Wednesday night we lit candles and sang around the seven new graves.
These brothers were put to death on 24 April and since news of their
death we have longed for the time when we could show them and their
families the love and respect they deserve. It is hard enough to cope
with the funeral of one young brother but the thought of seven was
daunting. The effect of these brutal deaths has rippled outwards and as
each family arrived from their home islands carrying so much grief it
was difficult to believe that we would ever be able to adequately
respond to the enormity of the loss.

"I waited at the airport for Brother Francis Tofi's father and mother to
arrive from Makira. I had not seen this tall strong Tikopian and former
brother since his son's admission as a brother in 1999 when he had worn
traditional tapa cloth (bark) dress and had such pride in his son who
would take on a ministry he had left off twenty years before. Now
arriving at the airport he looked so frail; and bent with grief. He put
his arms round me and sobbed and his cry entered into me and I was
crying too: for this wonderful son of his and the senseless, senseless
brutality that had led to the death of someone so good. Francis' father
had been fasting since he heard of his son's kidnapping in April. Around
his neck he had hung Francis' faded black brother's shirt into which he
cried continuously. This was just but one of seven family's grief. What
I still find impossible to understand is the failure of imagination, or
compassion, or heart with which people can
commit atrocities without perceiving the suffering caused. Perhaps they
do perceive and that is the horror of human cruelty, where pain is
mocked, torture is sport and the inhuman takes on a diabolic logic of
its own.

"Yet the funeral somehow contained this pain and transcended it. It
really did. The full community of brothers and novices in white stood at
the bottom of the hill which leads to our Motherhouse at Tabalia. Behind
them a huge crowd from the Governor General to village children waiting
for the arrival home of their beloved brothers. As one by one the
coffins were unloaded from three trucks, the wailing of the crowd grew
louder and broke ranks and pushed towards the coffins. Yet the brothers,
with such dignity and inner strength one by one took up the coffins from
the RAMSI combined police force who handed them over and a long huge
procession began up the hill to the chapel. In front of each coffin a
banner: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons
of God" and the name of the brother who had given his life in the cause
of peace. In the chapel the crying was silenced by the singing of the
community. A deep silence, a love which transcends the words spoken and
found expression in the harmony of voices. Brothers placed the
Brotherhood medals and sashes on the coffins with such respect and then
the families came forward with wreathes and flowers. As we moved towards
the Brotherhood graveyard there was a huge surge of grief among the huge
crowd and yet again this Brotherhood like bulwarks against this ocean of
loss held the chaos of grief together, gave it a form and a structure
and a dignity: the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters of chaos
bringing into being a new creation. And I was struck as many of us where
not by a morbid darkness but by faith and light and love.

"That night the late Francis Tofi's father called me to the house where
he was staying. He told me he had buried his grief in the grave with his
son and now he would eat again. He bent low over my hands and breathed
on them. And I knew that the miracle of God's life was beginning again.
It gave me such joy to eat fish with him. He is such a dignified
beautiful old man. And it is the love for his son which so shines in him
and I remind him this can never die for it is of God and eternal.

"Yet our community could still not fully rest even as we celebrated with
such joy - two days later - the admission of 48 new Brothers who took
their promises in the Square where 78 years ago the founder of the
Melanesian Brotherhood took his promises. Our First Filipino Brother
Alejandro led the cheers which followed the celebration of their
admission and gave such an effervescent and bubbling speech about his
gratitude at being a Brother. The community, quieter than usual but with
a seeming greater depth and wisdom celebrated but continued to patiently
wait for the final decision of the family of the late Robin Lindsay of
whether he too could be buried alongside his Brothers at Tabalia.
Robin's grave remained open and waiting and there could be no closure
for any of us before he too was laid to rest. By Monday 3 November eight
of Brother Robin's closest relatives had arrived from Papua New Guinea.
They met at Tabalia and late in the evening called the leaders of the
community to tell them that the final decision had already been made.
Brothers Robin's bones would be "planted" at Tabalia. It had been a hard
and costly decision for the family for we all felt Brother Robin
belonged to us. Yet his sister Nancy knew the truth he was first and
foremost a Brother and he belonged to God and so should rest with those
he led at the heart of the community he served. The delay had seemed
painful and yet it was again completely right too for it allowed for a
funeral that gave special respect for Robin as our leader and his family
from PNG to be fully involved. 

"Although we had only 24 hours to arrange the seventh and final funeral
everything came into place as though it was always meant to be. The
Governor General, the Prime-Minister, Ministers, the PNG High Commission
and hundreds of others were there as the Archbishop and Father of the
Brotherhood officiated; but the whole of Brother Robin's life was
reflected. His Auntie Prisca told the story of his life, his Uncle
declared bravely that he forgave his nephew's murderers but called upon
them to repent and lift the curse of violence from these Islands. The
Prime Minister praised Brother and the Brotherhood for their work for
peace and the Archbishop told Brother Robin's family that they had given
the Church the very best, the most precious offering they had: their own
beloved son and brother. But perhaps the most powerful sign of all was
when all the brothers and novices gathered to kneel around the coffin to
show their last respects; linked to the coffin and to one another by
outstretched hands and the song they sang and their combined tears. And
then together as one community they slowly lifted the coffin onto the
shoulders of six of their brothers to be led to his final resting place
where his relatives sang in his mother tongue. In the midst of sorrow
there is life. WE have fought with death and love has won.

"Now may we live out that legacy of peace our brothers have left with us
and continue the work they have begun. May we have witnessed something
of what passion and death share even now in this life; something of the
joy and hope of their resurrection."

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