The Community of Sant'Egidio expresses its deep grief for the murder of Mgr. Michael Courtney, Nuncio in Burundi, deadly wounded near Minago, 50 Km from the capital city Bujumbura: the details of the murder are not yet known.
The Community of Sant'Egidio has been committed for many years in the difficult search for peace in this small and tormented country of the African region of the Great Lakes. On many occasions the Community worked with Mgr. Courtney at initiatives of dialogue, to try to stop violence that bathed in blood Burundi and caused the death of thousands of victims.
The murder of Mrg. Courtney, a man who loved peace and the people of Burundi, sadly draws the attention on this African region afflicted with so many conflicts.
While expressing its grief for the murder of Mgr. Courtney, the Community of Sant'Egidio – which will celebrate the World Day for Peace on January 1st with a march in Rome to make memory of all the countries that are still waiting for the end of the war - states again the importance of everybody's committment to protect peace everywhere and especially where it is menaced by war and violence. |