Story by Jennifer Mauro | Associate Editor

Anne-Marie Gustavson stands at a small desk in her Monroe Township home, running her finger along the spines of books written about her brother. Under the books sit three dancing figurines – Whirling Dervishes, the Sufi prayer dance a reminder of Islam in her Catholic Christian home.

“He was fun. He loved life,” she says of her brother, Bishop Pierre Claverie, a French Catholic priest who served as bishop of Oran, Algeria, preaching Muslim-Christian dialogue for years before he was murdered. “He laughed; he danced; he listened to music. He was a regular person. His fate seems so tragic, but this was a man so full of life.”

In remembrance of the 20th anniversary of his death and in conjunction with the social justice committee at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, Gustavson has helped coordinate “An Interfaith Dialogue on the Message of Bishop Pierre Claverie” at 7 p.m., Sept. 25 in the church.

Gustavson hopes the event will defuse fear and open the door to discussion on the relationship between faiths, especially between Muslims and Christians. Among those scheduled to speak are Father Patrick McDonnell, St. Anthony of Padua Parish pastor, Imam Sohaib Sultan, the first full-time Muslim Life coordinator and chaplain in Princeton University, and Rabbi Eric Wisnia of Congregation Beth Chaim, Princeton Junction.  

“It’s been 20 years, but his message is relevant in the here and now, too,” she said of her brother, who is in the process of being beatified by the Church.

‘The bishop of the Muslims’

Gustavson and her brother were born and raised in the North African country of Algeria, a French colony until the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 to 1962. Pierre Claverie entered the Dominican order after going to France to pursue college in 1958. Coming from French ancestry, the rest of the family followed near the war’s end. During this time, Pierre Claverie began to realize his entire life in Algeria had been lived in “a colonial bubble,” Gustavson said.

“He felt there was a vibrant Algerian culture that we had missed altogether,” she said, explaining that he felt their family had lived parallel lives with their Muslim neighbors instead of integrating as one community.

Pierre Claverie began studying Arabic, Islam and devoting his ministry to building relationships between the Christian and Muslim communities. He returned to Algeria in the late 1960s, becoming known among the people as a man dedicated to improving dialogue between the two faith cultures – so much so, that he became known as “the bishop of the Muslims.” In 1981, he was appointed bishop of Oran, Algeria. 

“He often began conversations with people first talking about their differences,” Gustavson said. “His motto was, ‘I need the truth of other.’”

Her husband, Eric, agreed, saying, “I think it validated the other just by him saying that.”

As the years went on, and those of moderate faith began being influenced by outside conservative practices, Pierre Claverie continued his mission, despite the fact that his messages of moderation, dialogue and bridge-building between cultures was not favored by the extremist ideals that were beginning to take hold in the country.

Tensions came to a head in 1991, when civil war broke out after the government cancelled parliamentary elections when it appeared that the party that represented Muslim fundamentalists was on the verge of winning.

“He made a conscious decision to stay in Algeria,” Gustavson said, adding that her brother was making television appearances in France and other French-speaking countries to make known what was happening in the country. “And the people pleaded with him to stay telling him, “You are our window to the rest of the world.’”

“Really,” Eric Gustavson added, “He was bearing witness to what was happening there. … Silence is the weapon of butchers. They needed him to stay. They needed his voice.”

Gustavson is quick to point out that Algeria’s civil war wasn’t a war against Christians. “Thousands of Muslims were dying at the same time,” she said.

Throughout it all, Pierre Claverie decided to be visible, Gustavson said. “He knew the end would be coming. He knew that staying there would be ‘it,’” she said, explaining that her brother was receiving death threats for continuing to champion Christian-Muslim dialogue.

On the evening of Aug. 1, 1996, Pierre Claverie was returning from a meeting with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, where the two had been discussing the safety of Algeria’s French residents. Pierre Claverie’s friend, Mohamed Bouchikhi, was driving the bishop back to his residence when the two were killed by a bomb that destroyed the entrance to the bishop’s residence.

“Mohamed knew my brother was being threatened,” Gustavson said, adding that some of Bouchikhi’s writings were later found, indicating that he, too, knew his life was in danger being near the bishop. But Bouchikhi chose to remain at his side.

Lasting Legacy

In all, 19 Catholic religious were killed during the civil war. Currently, an effort is under way in the Church to beatify the slain men and women, including Pierre Claverie.

The Gustavsons believe Pierre Claverie’s message of tolerance and understanding is critical, especially in the current American political season and considering the backlash against Muslims across the globe. That’s one of the reasons for the interfaith dialogue event in St. Anthony of Padua Church.

“We are a nation of immigrants,” Eric Gustavson said. “We have a connection to the outside, but it’s sometimes hard for us to see. … There is a historical relationship between Muslims and Christian communities. We have to face up to this reality.” 

Gustavson says her brother was always talking of “building platforms of encounters.” “It wasn’t just a bridge – I go and come back,” she said, explaining that her brother was always trying to bring groups to common ground. She believes the ideals of tolerance and moderation have been heard in America, and to some degree, achieved. “But right now we are in a rut.”

Both warned of the impact of stereotypes, one-sidedness and their effect on self-fulfilling prophesies.

“If you’re a 16-year-old Muslim and hear what’s [negativity] being said, how does that affect you?” she asked. “Generally speaking, if you ask for the best, I think most people will strive to do just that.”

“Fear is a growth industry – people are making a lot of money off of fear,” Eric Gustavson agreed. “But you can’t live your life by ‘what if?’  You can’t live your life in fear. And he [Pierre Claverie] was an example of that.”

 “Yes, he died,” Anne-Marie Gustavson said of her brother. “But he fulfilled his life the way he wanted to.”