European Christians parted with Fr. Roger

Fr.Roger Schutz, a founder of the Taize community was buried on 23 August 2005.

Attending the mourning ceremony were over ten thousand people. Official representatives of several Christian Churches, ecumenical organizations and European states attended the requiem service led by Walter Cardinal Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian unity.

Among outstanding political figures who came to the parting with Fr.Roger, were FRG President Horst Keller as head of the delegation, French state minister Nicolas Sarkozy, deputies of French Parliament and Senate. Also attending the funeral were Papal Nuncio in France, heads of the Episcopal Conferences of France, Spain and Bolivia, representatives of the Protestant Churches, the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches and the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Attending the parting ceremony and the funeral on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church was archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev, secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church liaison office at the WCC.

Cardinal Kasper said at the graveside that ‘By his presence in our life, his sermons and personal example Fr.Roger radiated love and hope, which broke down all barriers and overcome divisions of this world’.

Those attending the requiem service were asked to offer up their prayers for the Romanian woman, who cut short the long life of Fr.Roger, as she did not know what she did being darkened by disease.

Fr.Roger was buried at the Taize community cemetery.