Long thread coming here for the Feast of the Martyrs of Algeria, a group of 19 beati who were killed between 1994 and 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. All were professed religious, including the Bishop of Oran Pierre-Lucien Claverie OP and the Trappist monks of Tibhirine

Bishop Claverie was born in French Algeria in 1938. He studied in France and entered into the Dominican Order in Lille. He returned to newly-independent Algeria after ordination, studying and teaching Arabic and Islam for for Algerians and French religious serving in Algeria.

In 1 Aug 1996 Bishop Claverie was assassinated as he was returning to the Cathedral. A bomb blew up the car driven by his friend and assistant Mohamed Bouchikhi.

Bishop Claverie's death came just months after the murder of the Monks in Tibhirine, a Trappist abbey (Notre Dame de l'Atlas). They are the subject of the 2010 film Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men).

The abbey was inaugurated in 1938 and was attacked in 1958 during the Algerian war. The abbey was to be closed in 1962, but the death of the General Abbot of the order postponed it closing. The abbey slowly received new brothers and built an annex in Morocco in 1988.

From 1984 on, Christian de Chergé was abbot of the monastery. He had fought for the French army in Algeria and his life was saved by a Muslim man during battle. This left a profound impression on Christian and, after deciding to enter religious life, was determined to pursue

Christian-Muslim dialogue. Christian studied Arabic and Islam under the Pères Blancs in Rome. He continued studies of the Quran and engaged with local Muslim leaders, particularly in the Alawya Sufi order. Facing death, he wrote of his love for God and his Algerian neighbors

"If it should happen one day-and it could be today-that I become a victim of the terrorism which now seems ready to engulf all the foreigners living in Algeria, I would like my community, my Church and my family to remember that my life was GIVEN to God and to this country."

Continuing in the tradition of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, many of the religious in North Africa had served in the French military or civil service in the colony and hoped to return in order to spread the faith and to alleviate the harm caused by colonialism

Early in the morning on March 27, 1996, gunmen entered the monastery in Tibhirine, capturing:

Dom Christian de Chergé (b. 18 Jan 1937)

Brother Luc (born Paul Dochier, b. 31 Jan 1914)

Father Christophe Lebreton (b. 11 Oct 1950)

Brother Michel Fleury (b. 21 May 1944)

Father Bruno (born Christian Lemarchand, b. 1 Mar 1930)

Father Célestin Ringeard (b. 27 Jul 1933)

Brother Paul Favre-Miville (b. 17 Apr 1939)

Two monks, Fr. Jean-Pierre Schumacher and Father Amédée Noto, managed to hide and were not captured.

On May 21, 1996 the kidnapped monks were executed. It remains uncertain whether they were killed by GIA militants fighting the Algerian government or killed by the government who blamed the deaths on Islamists.

Frs. Jean-Pierre and Amédée would later move to the Annex in Fes, and then relocate the Abbey once more to Midelt, Morocco where it currently stands. https://www.moines-tibhirine.org/en/ 

All of the monks bore witness to the brotherhood of man, loving one another and their Muslim neighbors. To this day, Fr. Jean-Pierre continues to promote inter-religious dialogue at Notre Dame de l'Atlas—a message that was echoed by Pope Francis in his 2019 visit to Morocco.

The monks, Bishop Claverie, and eleven other religious were beatified on December 8, 2018.

Henri Vergès
Paul-Hélène
María Caridad Álvarez Martín
Esther Paniagua Alonso
Alain Dieulangard
Charles Decker
Jean Chevillard
Christian Chessel
Denise Leclerc
Jeanne Littlejohn

"Yes, I want this THANK YOU and this GOODBYE to be a 'GOD-BLESS' for you, too, because in God's face I see yours. May we meet again as happy thieves in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both. AMEN! INCHALLAH!
Tibhirine, 1st January 1994
Christian de Chergé +

شهداء الجزائر صلوا لنا
Martyres Algeriae Orate Pro Nobis