Br. Roger Has Been Killed

Brother_rogerBr. Roger (left), foundre of the Taize community, has been murdered.

For those who may not know, the Taize community is an ecumenical monastic community. It has both Protestant monks and Catholic monks. Br. Roger was its founder and its prior. He was very supportive of Benedict XVI, who has already condemned his murder.

EXCERPTS:

A Romanian woman slipped into a choir of singing monks during an
evening prayer service and fatally slit the throat of the 90-year-old
founder of an ecumenical Christian community in the presence of 2,500
horrified pilgrims in Burgundy, authorities said Wednesday.

"It happened very fast. There were some screams. We turned around.
He was wounded," said Brother Emile, who witnessed the killing. "We
carried him out of the church so people didn’t see the terrible part.
… She slit his throat."

Brother Roger was stabbed at least twice in the neck. Bleeding
profusely, he died 15 minutes later in the community house, Brother
Emile said.

The 36-year-old intruder had visited Taize for a week in June and was
considered psychologically fragile. Brother Emile said they had learned
from colleagues that she was "a very sick woman in Romania" who
screamed in churches.

"We asked her not to stay," Brother Emile said in a telephone
interview. She returned about two days ago, bypassing the reception
area.

Romanian media identified the woman as Luminita Solcan, from the northeast city of Iasi.

GET THE (HORRIFFIC) STORY.
(CHT to the reader who e-mailed.)

STATEMENT FROM THE TAIZE COMMUNITY.

STATEMENT FROM POPE BENEDICT.

Incidentally, perhaps I should mention something else that people have asked recently. During the funeral of John Paul II, Br. Roger (a Protestant) received Communion from Cardinal Ratzinger, which has prompted many questions. As far as I can tell, this is the straight story on what happened:

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls declared in July 2005 that Roger had been in the queue for Communion by accident. Navarro Valls further stressed that Roger Schutz was against intercommunion, but that he shared the Catholic teachings about the Eucharist (transubstantiation).

SOURCE, WITH BIOGRAPHY OF BR. ROGER.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

23 thoughts on “Br. Roger Has Been Killed”

  1. May God rest his soul, and have mercy on that woman. I hope she was mentally ill and not aware of her actions – I can’t think of many reasons one would deliberately kill a 90-year-old man.

  2. I was not aware of Br. Roger before reading of his death. It sounds as if it was not any sort of plot, just a deranged person reacting to what might have been perceived as personal rejection.
    I pray for all who knew him and grieve his death.

  3. Not that I doubt Mr. Valls’ statement, but how does one “accidentally” get into a communion queue? It seems to me it would take real talent to do something like that by accident!

  4. Not that I doubt Mr. Valls’ statement, but how does one “accidentally” get into a communion queue? It seems to me it would take real talent to do something like that by accident!
    It takes some imagination, but I figure it can be done. That Mass was huge. Suddenly, people are all lining up, and you might not know why and join them. Sitting down and letting people scramble over you was probably difficult–he might have even intended to step aside but couldn’t, and that could be how he got into the line. Or you might not understand the language of the liturgy (I think that Mass was in Italian for the most part) and just do what everyone else does. In any case, before you know it, there’s a host in your hand, and you’re not sure what to do–or–if you don’t believe it’s the body of Christ and aren’t aware of CC rules on this sacrament, you might think it’s okay to quietly receive it and go sit down, or you might be under a lot of pressure deciding whether to explain to the Pope that you shouldn’t have gotten a host, or not know which language to use, or you don’t want to hold people up or cause a strange scene in front of the world.

  5. LURKER, all fine, but not one of those facts could possibly apply to Br. Roger, who knew Cahtolic liturgy ten times better than most Catholics.

  7. It appears that he may have been in the process of becoming Catholic since he already expressed belief not only in transubstantiation but also in the pope as universal pastor of Christians and since the same pope spoke of him as going to heaven which Benedict XVI wouldn’t have said were Brother Roger not in the process of becoming Catholic.

  10. Okay, we’ve got an Ed and an Edward (who I guess we can call Eddie). Now we need an Edd with two Ds, so we can have Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddie.
    Jawbreakers, anyone?

  13. When I watched the funeral Mass, the commentators noted Br. Roger’s reception of Communion. He was in a wheelchair and was pushed up by someone else to receive from Cardinal Ratzinger. If he was still a Protestant — and I have read elsewhere that he converted a few years ago to Catholicism — his aide may have misunderstood what needed to be done. (Br. Roger was 90, after all, and may not have been capable of objecting strongly enough to be heeded.) If Br. Roger was Protestant, Cardinal Ratzinger may have given him Communion out of a desire to avoid embarrassing Br. Roger in front of the billions of people watching worldwide.

  14. Jimmy,
    I don’t like to be called Eddie. However, you may call me Zoom, which is a nickname acquired from my ability to propel my wheelchair at a high rate of speed. 🙂 (In fact this nickname is part of my e-mail address.)

  15. Something in the communion story still doesn’t ring complete:
    – Here we have two theological giants (Ratzinger and Bro Roger). You cannot find two people in the world more familiar with the Mass.
    – Both seem to be known as staunchly against intercommunion.
    – I suppose Ratzinger knows Bro. Roger by sight.
    – Bro. Roger had every chance to bow down,cross his hands, — anything– to signal to Ratzinger that he does not wish to receive communion (if in fact he did not wish to).
    – Ratzinger had the opportunity to simply make another fraternal gesture to Bro Roger instead of giving him communion.
    – In the Catholic Answers forum, something inquired at Taize if BroRoger had converted to Catholicism, and s/he received a (deliberately?) vauge answer.
    In short, the only believable conclusion is

  17. Sorry, I lost my train of thought when I recalled that one Lutheran related that he too was given communion.
    But now I think *that* was an accident.
    The most plausible conclusion for me at the moment was given by ‘vinegar’ (above).
    I’m just wondering if Bro. Roger felt he had to somehow adopt a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about his conversion, for the benefit of the community and the larger Church.
    Anyway, I wish more facts would come out and we would finally settle this matter. I hate that this communion incident is being used by liberal Catholics who wish to push for intercommunion with Protestants, with no less than Ratzinger being ‘guilty’.

  18. I asked the question at Catholic Answers Forum, because I was genuinely concerned that (then-) Cardinal Ratzinger had given Holy Communion to someone I thought was a Protestant – yet hoped had converted, because of his receiving the Sacred Host. Given the exposure Br Roger and the Taize community has here in western Europe, I couldn’t believe that Card Ratizinger would not have known who Br R was; on that basis I assumed he had converted. I found it hard to believe that Card. Ratzinger would have knowingly given a Protestant Holy Communion at such a public event. The TV commentator clearly knew who he was. So I’m still concerned as to how it happened. However, it’s in the past and I sincerely hope it is not used as an opportunity for liberal Catholics to demand Holy Communion for non-Catholics. Br Roger – RIP.

  19. The Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith has a lot more important things to do than learn the names and faces of every major or minor Protestant leader in the world. I see no reason to believe he MUST have known who the fellow was. Also, I am uncertain if the commentators whom are being mentioned were broadcasting during the communion or if they are commentators whom discussed the matter at later times on news broadcasts. If the latter, then their knowledge of the man’s identity means less than nothing. If the former, it means about nothing seeing as that they most certainly were provided with a list of VIP guests and no doubt spent time preparing for the broadcast during which they would have familiarized themselves with the attending VIPs (especially since the only real purpose for a TV commentator at such an event would be to indicate to the audience who was who). I also find the idea that Br. Roger would have plenty of chance to cross his hands or otherwise indicate his objection to receiving communion to be erroneous. It was noted elsewhere that the man was pushed to the communion in a wheelchair and that he was very old. It is in no way difficult to imagine that a man needful of a wheelchair would not be physically capable of crossing his hands, bowing down, or otherwise.

  21. Jimmy, I was SURE I heard several years ago when we both worked at CA that Bro. Roger HAD entered into communion with the Church.
    But I haven’t found any documentation. Did I dream it?
    Sr Claire (your old action movie buddy)

  22. Been reading with interest the comments re- fr. Roger receiving communion.. i address his as fr. as in frere Roger before i start another arguement. At special occasions such as funerals there is dispensation allowed for those attending to partake and enter into communion its included in a document called one bread one body… However I would like to add that brother roger for as long as i knew him received communion every morning at morning prayer and each sunday. Regardless of who this upsets this was his personal choice and i am appalled that a man who lived and died for his faith should be discussed in such a way. A true conversion is a conversion of heart not merely to change churches, isn’t that what brother roger was about reconciliation amongst us all.

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