The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has joined the expressions of dismay at the death last night of Brother Roger Schutz, the leader of the Taizé ecumenical community in eastern France.
Brother Roger died instantly when he was stabbed three times in the throat by an apparently deranged Romanian woman during a prayer service attended by 2,500 others. She was later detained.
Mr Ahern said he was keenly aware of Brother Roger's positive influence on so many Irish people and recalled his ecumenical visit to Dublin in 1985.
Pope Benedict XVI called the killing terrifying news, while the French President, Jacques Chirac, said the murder was shocking and tragic.
Brother Roger, 90, founded the Taizé monastic community in the Burgundy region in 1940 at the age of 25.
The community attracts tens of thousands of people every year for spiritual reflection and prayer.
It is famous all over the world for its meditative modern church music.
A memorial service for Brother Roger is to be held at 8pm on Friday 16 September at the Pro Cathedral on Marlborough Street in central Dublin.
