Skip to main content
Sojourners
faith in action for social justice
Sojourners
About
About SojournersEventsOur TeamWork With UsMediaWays to GiveInvite a SpeakerContact Us
SojoAction
OverviewTake ActionIssue AreasResourcesFaith-Rooted AdvocatesChurch Engagement
Magazine
Current IssueArchivesManage My SubscriptionWrite for Sojourners
Sections
LatestPoliticsColumnsLiving FaithArts & CultureGlobalPodcastsVideoPreaching The Word
Subscribe
MagazineRenewPreaching the WordCustomer ServiceNewsletters
Donate
Login / Register

Murdered Nuns Laid to Rest in the Congo as Crime Investigation Continues

By Frederick Nzwili, Religion News Service
A street in the Democratic Republic of Congo town of Bukavu. Photo via Fredrick Nzwili/RNS.
Sep 12, 2014
Share

Three elderly Italian nuns murdered in Burundi were laid to rest Sept. 11 in a Xaverian cemetery in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid heightened calls for action about their death.

Sister Lucia Pulici, 75, Sister Olga Raschietti, 82, and Sister Bernadetta Boggian, 79, of the Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary were gruesomely murdered Sunday in their convent in the Kamenge area of Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura.

The triple murders shocked Christians across the globe and ignited calls for the protection of sisters worldwide. The nuns were reportedly beaten and killed with a knife. At least one nun was decapitated. There were conflicting reports about whether they had been raped.

While mourning their deaths, Sister Enelesi Chimbali, general secretary of the Nairobi-based Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa, said such women left their comfortable homes, convents and native countries to serve the poor and downtrodden.

The nuns were buried in Bukavu town in the DRC, where the order has a cemetery. The order’s district covers both Burundi and parts of neighboring DNC. The sisters had wanted to be buried in Africa according to the Xaverian order’s former regional superior, ​Sister Delia Guadagnini, to mark their love for the continent to the end.

The Team of Consecrated Women mandated by the 16th ACWECA Plenary 2014 in Lusaka, Zambia to Carry the torch of the Association for the next 3 years ( 2014 – 2017).

The Team of Consecrated Women mandated by the 16th ACWECA Plenary 2014 in Lusaka, Zambia to Carry the torch of the Association for the next 3 years ( 2014 – 2017).Photo courtesy of ACWECA

The nuns had lived in Burundi for the last seven years, offering health care, spiritual and social support to the local communities. They had served in Africa for more than 50 years, spending most of the time in the DRC.

Thousands attended their requiem Mass on Wednesday in Bujumbura, where church officials called for thorough investigations and the truth about the deaths.

On the same day police said 33-year-old Christian Butoyi Claude, a suspect in their custody confessed, to the killings, saying the convent was built on his family’s land.

The suspect had in his possession two keys the sisters used to enter the convent and a mobile phone belonging to one of the sisters, according to the police.

But the nuns of their order are questioning the police version of events. Guadagnini said the crime was not committed by one person and the police arrest was an excuse to divert attention.

“We don’t believe in the police’s version,” Guadagnini told the Fides news agency. “We do not think this horrible crime was committed by a single person,” she said.

This is not the first killing of Catholic clergy or religious order members in the small East African country where a majority of residents are Christians.

In 2011, a Croatian nun working with an Italian charity was killed in an attempted robbery. In 1995, two Italian priests and a lay female volunteer from the Xaverian mission were killed for allegedly backing a Hutu tribe militia.

Fredrick Nzwili is a journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Via RNS.

 

 

 

 

Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

Tell Us What You Think!

We value your feedback on the articles we post. Please fill out the form below, and a member of our online publication team will receive your message. By submitting this form, you consent to your comment being featured in our Letters section. 

Please do not include any non-text characters, such as emojis or other non-standard content, into your submission.  It may cause errors in submitting the form.  Thanks!

Don't Miss a Story!

Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey?
Confirm Your Email Address.
By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A street in the Democratic Republic of Congo town of Bukavu. Photo via Fredrick Nzwili/RNS.
Search Sojourners

Subscribe

Magazine Newsletters Preaching The Word
Follow on Facebook Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Sojourners
Donate Products Editorial Policies Privacy Policy

Media

Advertising Press

Opportunities

Careers Fellowship Program

Contact

Office
408 C St. NE
Washington DC, 20002
Phone 202-328-8842
Fax 202-328-8757
Email sojourners@sojo.net
Unless otherwise noted, all material © Sojourners 2025