Christian world mourns stabbed Taize leader
By Ruth Gledhill for Times Online
August 17, 2005

The Christian world went into mourning today for Brother Roger, founder of the Taize religious group, who was stabbed to death during the daily evening service at at his community in France.
His death in front of 2,500 young pilgrims at the Reconciliation Church turned a man many already believed to be a saint into a martyr. A 36-year-old Romanian woman, known to be mentally disturbed, is being held by police.

Tributes from around the world poured in for Brother Roger, the 90-year-old son of a Swiss protestant pastor, who founded Taize during the Second World War when he was just 25. His motto, if he had one, was: "Love, and express that with your life.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said: "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.

"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."

Story