Taizé Founder, Brother Roger, Slain

Sad note.

DIJON, France, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The founder of the French religious Taizé Community, Brother Roger, was attacked and killed by a mentally disturbed man (some reports say it was a woman) during vespers, his community said.

Roger, 90, was attacked, probably with a knife, during evening prayer today at Taizé, near Cluny, in the eastern Burgundy region, a member of the community told Agence France-Presse.

The Taizé movement started during World War II, when Swiss-born monk Roger Schutz, living in Taizé, provided a refuge for those fleeing the conflict, irrespective of their religion.

Roger, a Protestant with a degree in theology, devoted his life to the reconciliation between Christian denominations.

I remember singing and playing some of the songs of Taizé at church, and services that incorporated Taizé-style prayer. It is a worship style that encourages contemplation.

I will keep him, the man who attacked him, and the community in my prayers.