Charmingly well written in a gentle and generous spirit” Archbishop Desmond Tutu

In August 2005, Brother Roger, the charismatic founder and leader of the Taizé community was attacked and killed whilst praying with more than 2,000 young people. His death came almost 65 years after he crossed the border from his native Switzerland into war-ravaged France and settled in the tiny village of Taizé. At a time when Europe was torn asunder, Brother Roger had asked himself why such conflict should exist between people, and particularly between Christians. He found himself called to establish a community in which reconciliation and peace would be made concrete day by day. Today, thousands of young people from all over the world and from all denominations gather each week at Taizé to pray, study and worship.

This is the biography of the man who made the phenomenon of Taizé possible. It is the story of a life which took Brother Roger from the slums of Calcutta and New York’s Hell’s Kitchen to the United Nations building and the great cathedrals of Europe. Brother Roger was imbued with a spontaneity and wisdom that made him the companion of popes and of little children and he was one of the best-loved Christian leaders of our time.