Archbishop had strong foreboding, says brother

ARCHBISHOP Michael Courtney had a strong sense of foreboding before he left for Burundi three years ago but believed he had resolved much of the conflict he was sent to tackle, his brother revealed.

"From the beginning he was reaching for the stars," Dr Louis Courtney said as mourners prepared to leave his funeral Mass. He had a special word of thanks for the people of Burundi, who showed him great kindness over the years.

"Michael accepted people in their totality without righteousness or arrogance. He absorbed human frailty in its totality and without criticism.