The three murdered nuns

They had been living in Burundi since 2007, after many years of service in the DRC. Loved and admired, Sr. Bernadette, Olga and Lucia leave many orphans and tears in the community behind them.-By Nadine Sahabo, translated from French by J.BerchmansSiboniyo

Sr. Bernadette Boggian. “ Optimistic”

Bernadette

When she learned of the murder of the two first nuns, she simply said: “They are in paradise for they have forgiven their executioners.” She was not aware that she would be the next victim on the list of the criminal (s). “Always optimistic towards people, she only focused on the positive side”, says Clementine Mbombo, the Mother Superior of Kamenge parish. “That has always impressed me”, she adds.
Devoted to social help, Bernadette (79) spent all her time with poor families and vulnerable young girls in particular.

Sr. Lucia Pulici. “Friend of the sick”

Lucia

A trained nurse, Sr. Lucia Pulici was always busy helping the sick. She was also the treasurer of the liturgy parish. “She was very generous”, whispers one Christian woman at the crime scene. Born in Milan, Italy, the nun would have celebrated her 73 birthday on Monday September 8th.

Sr. Olga Raschietti, “Chatty”

Olga

She was the oldest of them (83 or 82) and by far the most loved. She was well known in the quarter and very attached to the population. “She was always surrounded by people, chatting with them in Swahili, talking about God and faith”, recalls Father MarioPulcini. With her walking stick, she always walked many kilometers searching for sick and broken-hearted people to share the good news. “At Easter, she even brought an old man in a wheelchair to the parish to get baptized. She had trained him about all the requirements on the basis of the cross sign”, recalls a Christian woman with nostalgia.
Legend: the pictures of the nuns