The latest information I have found on Br Roger's murder indicates the woman who attacked him was mentally ill. The 36 year-old Romanian woman's name is Luminita Solcan, and a recent AP article reports that she suffers from schizoaffective disorder.
Early reports suggested that Ms. Solcan had been at the Taizé compound for "several weeks", but had been recently asked to leave because she had been disruptive during services (by shouting). She had been trying to see Br Roger for the past several days, but his assistants prevented her. Some believe she had not intended to kill Br Roger, but had only intended to get his attention.
The church should be a shelter for this sort of person. Taizé, more so than the average corner church. At the same time, church should be sanctuary for all sorts and conditions, and when one member is behaving in a threatening manner, than member may have to be asked to leave.
It's a challenge to strike that balance.
I am reminded of an incident at Holy Apostles, a mission church in south OKC. One Sunday I noticed a woman sitting on the north side of the church, wearing the brown robes of a Franciscan. She remained quiet through most of the service, and behaved appropriately. Until the sermon. During the sermon time, she persistently interrupted the priest. She was shouting, tearful, manic, about what she called the "scourge of abortion".
It should be noted that the sermon had nothing to do with abortion.
The priest, Rev Bev, calmly talked the woman down. She would remind the woman that it was the priest's turn to talk. Finally, the woman cycled down and Bev was able to continue with the service.
Something similar was rumored to have happened at St Paul's last summer. Peter is a self-acknowledged alcoholic who has chosen to continue drinking. He would sit in with the group who meets every other Monday to study the Rule of St Benedict. He would basically make the church his home most of Sunday.
On the whole, Pete was non-threatening. During the Benedict study, he could be bright and perceptive. But, last summer, he also could just start chattering non-sequitors. He was reportedly calling one of the older female priests at home. He also was calling one of the female parishioners at home (she had not invited such contact).
Now, both these women are capable of taking care of themselves. Regardless, Pete's behavior was unacceptable.
I don't know how the clergy handled it. I imagine it was similar to a process St. Paul the Apostle outlines in one of his epistles: first, you confront the person on your own; then you confront him/her with two elders; last, you ask the person to leave the community.
The rumor was that Pete had been asked to leave the community.
I've seen him back in church the last few Sundays. I suppose, if the rumors were true, that he has gained a probation. In other words, he may continue as part of the community so long as he is not disruptive and does not act inappropriately.
Ideally, the church should be a sanctuary for those at the margins of society – what the Hebrew scriptures call the widow and orphan (which would also include the destitute and the mentally ill). Too often we treat the church as a sanctuary for the moderately well-adjusted and well-to-do.
Too often, in subtle ways, we send the subliminal message that persons on the margin are not welcome in our Christian communities until they can come closer to "normal" standards of dress, appearance, behavior. We forget that Jesus hang out with the people on the margins of his society. We forget that he told us that he was present with the prisoner and orphan. We forget that he promised that when we ministered to any of these "on the margins", we were actually ministering to him.
I don't know Ms. Solcan's full story. I don't know for a fact how the brothers in the Taizé community treated her. I suspect, because Taizé has a history of radical acceptance of all sorts and conditions, that the brothers used a model similar to the one recommended by St. Paul.
I do know that Br Roger would ask that we pray for Ms. Solcan's healing even as we pray for the repose of his soul.
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