The New Martyrs of Algeria

The New Martyrs of Algeria

Pope Francis issued a decree which recognizes the martyrdom of 19 priests, monks and nuns who were killed in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, in the midst of the bloody civil war that ravaged the country until 2002. Among the fallen were the bishop of Oran, the Dominican Pierre-Lucien Claverie, and seven Trappist Monks from Tibhirine. The monks from Notre Dame de l'Atlas, who will be beatified, where taken from their monastery in what are still unclear circumstances.

The Seven Brothers In Thibirine Trappist Monastery

  

Who were these men thirsty for the absolute, aware that they were carrying a treasure in vases of clay and were ready to discover it in the hearts, in the lives and in the religion of their neighbours as well?

1. Father Christian De Chergé What struck me in him was his inner passion for the discovery of the Muslim soul and to live this communion with them and with God, albeit remaining truly a monk and a Christian. He wanted to be taken by everything in Islam which is a seed of the Word, a sign of His active presence and of His breath as a creator, to be as near as possible to his Muslim brothers: to go to God with them, but in Jesus Christ, in his Spirit and as an authentic member of his Church. Christian had to reconcile this personal appeal with that of the community, which was also a bearer of a mission of presence in a Muslim land.

2. Brother Luke He was not a priest, he was a brother. We could confide in him because he was full of wisdom. When we had a problem or a difficulty in our relationship with a brother, the first thing we did was to go to see Brother Luc because we well know how he would have responded. During our meetings, even during the period of tension and fear, he always had some words to make us laugh. He was valuable for our common life…As a medical doctor, he was in the dispensary for the whole of the day, and in addition he was responsible for the kitchen!’

3. Father Christophe  What has stayed in my mind as regards Christophe during the last two years is his inner torment as regards the ‘Amen’ that he had to pronounce, which was so difficult to say but which he did not want to avoid and which he ended up by taking upon himself out of his love for Jesus who dwelt in him completely. He allowed himself to be led towards likeness with Christ and towards his Paschal Mystery. All of this was in line with his burning soul, directed forwards, concerned to abandon himself to love of Christ, of his brothers, of the poor…with his weakness, his frailties.

4. Father Bruno What characterised Bruno was his calm, his reserved, smiling and affable character, despite the impression that he gave when first encountered of being severe and in a hurry. The Superior of Fes, he loved the simple and hidden life that was led in this small monastery. In Fes, in the spring, a part of the garden and the walkway reserved to guests became a feast of colours thanks to the flowers that he grew: this was an expression of his secret soul.

5. Brother Michel A silent, poor and humble man, he lived in simplicity the giving of himself to God and the community. His search for God in the monastery was inseparably linked to the search for the soul of Islam, to be in communion with his Muslim brothers and to offer himself to them. By some brothers of the community and by many guests he was seen as a saint, but I doubt that he realised this…

6. Father Célestin The foundation and the source of the spiritual life of Célestin was his link with Christ through his priesthood and religious profession, the educational role that he had performed for twenty years with people on the streets (drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes), and his tie of friendship with an Algerian partisan that he had saved during his military service as a male nurse in Algeria and, through him, with the whole of the Algerian people.

7. Brother Paul Joyous, affable, ready to help and with golden hands, Brother Paul was loved by everyone, by his neighbours, by the country folk associated with the work of the monks. He did not know Arabic but he managed to make himself understood with signs and above all with works. A realist, he had no illusions about the political and economic situation of Algeria: he was aware of what could happen at any moment. What a mystery it was that he joined the brothers out of faithfulness to God, to them and to Algeria precisely on the eve of the kidnapping! 

Martyrdom

 What had been long feared, suffered, prepared for and accepted, then took place. On the night of 26-27 March 1996, the seven brothers of Tibhirine were kidnapped. The kidnappers, the senders of whom remain unknown, were looking for seven monks. 

In reality, that night, there were nine monks: Bruno, who had arrived from Fes for the election of the prior, and Paul, who had come the previous evening from Savoy after a visit to his family, were the other two. Both were taken.

  

Two monks escaped capture: Amédée and Jean-Pierre, whom the Providence of God held back in order to give continuity and witness to the love of their brothers. Twenty two years later the mystery has still not been solved: every so often a flash of light, real or only apparent, seems to throw light into the shadows that conceal the crime, leading to useless and suspicious tempests in the mass media. Why were they kidnapped? By whom?Why were they not killed immediately and why were they held hostage for a period of time unknown to us? How, when, why, was it then decided to kill them? What is hidden behind the silence or the lies of the possible murderers?

But their sacrifice was not in vain: they were faithful to God, to the Church of Algeria and to their vow of staying until the end; they chose to remain and to share the fate of a sick and corrupt Algeria, helping the least, the poor and the sick, in the hope of a more limpid and fraternal future; they loved unto the last sign, like Christ, their neighbours, the humble people of the locality, the country folk of Tibhirine, who were in danger, offering them sincere friendship. It was granted to them to bear witness to the absolute of God and to the possibility of loving limitlessly through the supreme, free and total gift of their lives.

[This article is published in Oasis n. 18. Click here to buy a copy of this issue of Oasis and here to subscribe to the journal]