The founder of the French religious Taize Community, Brother Roger, 90, was stabbed to death on August 16 during evening prayers by a mentally disturbed, his community said. Police said that a 36-year-old Romanian woman was detained as a suspect.

According to a news report of Agence France Press (AFP) Brother Roger was attacked with a knife during evening prayers attended by some 2,500 young people at the Reconciliation church in Taize, in the eastern Burgundy region. He was seriously wounded and died from his wounds despite immediate help by rescuers, a community member told AFP.

The Taize movement started during World War II. Swiss-born theologian Roger Schutz arrived in the village of Taize, near Cluny, in 1940 at the age of 25 planning to found a religious community. He provided in Taizé a refuge for those fleeing the conflict, irrespective of their religion.

Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche was born in Switzerland on May 12, 1915, as son of a Protestant pastor. Roger studied theology in Lausanne and Strasbourg, and was an ordained Protestant pastor. He devoted his life to the reconciliation between Christian denominations.

The Taize community, made up of more than 100 brothers, groups members of several Christian denominations from more than 25 countries. The Community welcomes tens of thousands of young people every year for spiritual reflection and prayer.