Elderly nuns killed by intruder

Three elderly Catholic nuns have been savagely murdered in their convent in Burundi for motives that have not yet been explained.

The three, who belong to the religious order Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary, were identified as Sisters Olga Raschietti, 83; Lucia Pulici, 75; and Bernadette Boggia, 79.

The police said Sr Olga and Sr Lucia were found dead on Sunday afternoon at their convent in Kamenge, a northern suburb of the capital Bujumbura. Their throats were slit. Later, the body of Sr Bernadette was found in the early hours of Monday morning. Her body was badly beaten, and she had been beheaded.

Fr Mario Pulcini, who works in the same parish as the nuns, told police that Sr Bernadette called him in the middle of the night on Sunday to report a noise she heard inside the convent. Hours later her body was found.

According to Damien Baseka, a local government administrator in Bujumbura, the suspected killer of the first two nuns was seen escaping from the convent with a bloodied knife in his hand. Investigators believe Sr Bernadette was killed by an accomplice who had hidden inside the convent.

On its website of the Diocese of Parma where the Xaverian ­missionary association is based, it said the deaths of the three nuns appeared to have been “the tragic outcome of an armed ­robbery by a mentally unbalanced person”. The order denied reports that the women had been raped. But Burundi’s police said the motive of the killing was not clear, pointing out that no money was taken. Three persons were reported to be held by police.

The Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini condemned the attacks and Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram to the Archbishop of Bujumbura expressing Pope Francis’ “deep sadness”.