Bujumbura, Dec. 30 (CWNews.com) - Reacting to the assassination of the apostolic nuncio in Burundi on December 29, Pope John Paul II pleaded with the people of that African country to reject violence and "build a lasting peace."
News of the slaying of Archbishop Michael Aidan Courtney, a veteran of the Vatican diplomatic corps, was confirmed in the evening in Rome, with an official statement issued by the Secretariat of State.
The archbishop was killed in Minago, a town south of the capital city of Bujumbura, when the car in which he was traveling was hit with a volley of gunfire from a nearby hill. Severely wounded, Archbishop Courtney was taken to a hospital in Bujumbura, where he died without regaining consciousness.
The archbishop suffered three separate gunshot wounds, including one to the head, the Vatican revealed. He died of "an uncontrollable hemorrhage," after the drive to the hospital was lengthened by the fact that the car's tires had been flattened by the gunfire.
In a telegram addressed to Archbishop Simon Ntamwana of Gitenga, the president of the bishops' conference of Burundi, Pope John Paul said that he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the nuncio's death. He urged "everyone to commit themselves to follow Christ, rejecting violence, which is a path without a future."
Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, also sent a message to the Catholics of Burundi, expressing their prayer that the death of Archbishop Courtney "May contribute toward the long-desired authentic peace." The Congregation noted that the archbishop's "life witness is added to that of the countless missionaries who gave their lives to proclaim the Gospel."
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and a personal friend of the deceased prelate, described Archbishop Courtney as "a man with a gentle character," and said that he had he had "carried out his mission as an apostolic nuncio in a difficult situation, but with a real missionary spirit."
Cardinal Ersilio Tonnini, interviewed by the Italian daily Avvenire, confirmed that the mission of a papal nuncio Burundi is both difficult and dangerous. He pointed out that the previous nuncio, the Swiss-born Archbishop Emile Tscherrig, twice escaped assassination attempts. Archbishop Courtney, a native of Ireland, had been serving as nuncio in Burundi since August 2000. He had previous held diplomatic posts in South Africa, Senegal, India, Yugoslavia, and Egypt, and served for almost five years on the Vatican delegation to the Council of Europe. He was reportedly expecting a transfer to a new assignment as apostolic nuncio in Cuba, at the time of his death.
The funeral for Archbishop Courtney will be held on December 31 in Bujumbura. Archbishop Pierre Christophe, the apostolic nuncio in Uganda, will preside, as a special envoy for the Pope. The remains of the slain archbishop will then be brought home to Ireland for burial.