Martyrs of Friendship

The bishop from Chillán presents Father Mauricio Cox’s book

Libro: Mártires de la amistad New book: Martyrs of friendship Neues Buch: Martyrer der Freundschaft
Autor: P. Mauricio Cox Author: Fr. Mauricio Cox Autor: P. Mauricio Cox Fotos: Fernandez © 2008

CHILE; Gustavo Villavicencio – La Segunda Newspaper: The Bishop of Chillán, Monsignor Carlos Pellegrin, presented Father Maruricio Cox’s new book at the Incarnate Word School (Presidente Errázuriz 4055 Ave – Las Condes): Sebastián Bitangwanimana and the Martyrs of the Fraternity, published by Editorial Patris – Chile. "These young men, Hutus and Tutsis, martyrs of friendship, gave their lives in the name of Jesus and for their friends. To our joy they are presently in the process of beatification," Father Mauricio Cox, member of the Schoenstatt Institute of Fathers, assured.

Sebastián Bitangwanimana and the Martyrs of the Fraternity tells the life story of the seminarian Sebastián Bitwangwanimana, who was assassinated on April 30, 1997 along with thirty-nine other companions in the massacre of Buta, Burundi, a country that suffered a war of fratricide for many years between the two ethnic groups of the Hutu’s and the Tutsi’s. This book relates the story of the "martyrs of Buta," a group of seminarians who preferred to give testimony of their fraternity by shedding their blood when they were forced to separate because of their respective ethnicities. Sebastián Bitangwanimana participated in a Schoenstatt Movement group at the Seminary of Buta.

A model for the youth

Father Mauricio Cox, who served as a missionary for three years in Africa, based his book on the testimonies of those who knew Sebastián, whose life ended abruptly in one of the most sorrowful chapters for the Church in the 20^th Century, which was preceded by the historic independence of Burundi and Rwanda in 1959. Impressed by the story of these martyrs of the late 20^th century and because of Sebastián’s life as a model for the youth, he decided to investigate and to make contact with Sebastián’s family, survivors and other people who knew him. This book was written based on the fruits of these testimonies and on his three years of experience as a missionary in Burundi. It’s also a tribute to these heroes from our time for the purpose of preserving their legacy for future generations. The story relates that several of the young men – between the ages of 16-24 years old –were found dead with a rosary in their hands, and that before dying they exclaimed, "Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing!" Father José Luis Correa Lira, General Director of Editorial Patris – Chile, also participated at the presentation.

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA/amj