Archbishop Michael Courtney

From Irish Times Tuesday 2003-12-30:

Burundian rebels blamed for killing of Irish archbishop

The Taoiseach, the Catholic Church and the Burundian President have condemned the murder of Irish Archbishop Michael Courtney who was ambushed yesterday near the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent.

Archbishop Courtney (58), from Nenagh in Co Tipperary, was Papal Nuncio to Burundi and was a key mediator in peace talks there.

He was travelling in a diplomatic car carrying the Vatican flag when he sustained bullet wounds in the head, shoulder and leg. He died later in hospital. Two other occupants of the vehicle, both Burundian and one a priest, escaped uninjured.

Claims by army officials in Burindi that Archbishop Courtney had been killed by FNL rebels have been robustly denied.

The Archbishop was returning from the funeral of a priest in the Minago district of Burundi. He had been in the country for three years, and was due to leave for Cuba next month. He is survived by two brothers and a sister.

The Vatican said Pope John Paul had "prayed for the soul of this faithful and generous servant of the church, who was killed while undertaking a difficult mission entrusted to him".

A spokesman for the army in Burundi said the FNL "deliberately killed him, but we do not know the reason". The FNL immediately denied this and condemned the shooting. "We have nothing against the nuncio. We have men in the area where he was ambushed, but I swear it wasn't us who attacked him," a spokesman said.

The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Seán Brady, said he was "deeply shocked" at the news. Extending his sympathy to the Courtney family, he said it was typical of the late archbishop's "noble, generous spirit that he should have met his death while returning from a pastoral visit to one of the dioceses in Burundi".

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, also expressed his shock and condemned the "horrific attack".

In Rome last night, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, said he was "absolutely stunned". He described Archbishop Courtney's killing as "a very nasty piece of work". Cardinal Desmond Connell said he was "greatly distressed by the tragic news of the murder".

The President of Burundi, Mr Domitien Ndayizey, condemned the killing. He said "the people who committed the attack are enemies of peace in Burundi".Military sources said the army now planned a major crackdown on the FNL rebels.

Burundi has been plagued by tension between the dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority.In the last 10 years an estimated hundreds of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Hutu-Tutsi violence.

A ceasefire in 2002 was followed by a South African-brokered power-sharing deal, which was signed earlier this year.

The FNL, a small Hutu rebel group, continues to attack government targets.

A faction of the FNL remains the only rebel group to continue to refuse negotiations with the transitional government.

This is the group being blamed last night the Burundian authorities for the killing of Archbishop Courtney.

© The Irish Times

From Irish Times Tuesday 2004-01-01:

The remains of Archbishop Michael Courtney, who was shot dead in Burundi on Monday, are expected to arrive at Dublin Airport tomorrow morning. (2004-01-02)

© The Irish Times