Pope Francis has condemned the “absurd violence” in Rouen, northern France, where a priest was killed at Mass on Tuesday by two armed men.
Fr Jacques Hamel, 84, died in the attack on the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray by two armed men. They entered the building during Mass, taking the priest and a number of other people, including two nuns. According to reports, the priest died after his throat was cut.
French police shot the hostage-takers dead after elite police units stormed the building.
It was the first known attack inside a French church in recent times. One was targeted last year, but the attack never was carried out.
Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, said in a statement on Tuesday that the attack hits particularly hard “because this horrific violence took place in a church, a sacred place in which the love of God is announced, and the barbaric murder of a priest and the involvement of the faithful.”
Fr Lombardi called the attack “more terrible news, that adds to a series of violence in these days that have left us upset, creating immense pain and worry.”
The Pope, he said, has expressed “pain and horror for this absurd violence, with the strongest condemnation for every form of hatred and prayer for those affected.”
As the Catholic Herald went to press, ISIS reportedly claimed that the attack was carried out by two “soldiers” from the group, while French President François Hollande called it a “vile terrorist attack” and said it is another sign that France is at war with ISIS.
Cause to open of theologian who influenced two popes
The archdiocese of Munich and Freising is preparing to open the Cause of Romano Guardini, one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century.
According to reports, the archdiocese has appointed a postulator for the Cause of the Italian-born German theologian who influenced both Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx is expected to formally open the Cause by the end of the year.
Guardini was born in Verona in 1885. His first major work, The Spirit of the Liturgy, was published during World War I. He was later appointed to a chair in philosophy of religion at the University of Berlin. But he was forced to resign in 1939 after clashing with the Nazis.
Following World War II, he became first a professor in the faculty of philosophy at the University of Tübingen and then a professor at the University of Munich. He died in 1968.
Benedict XVI referred to Guardini as “a great figure, a Christian interpreter of the world and of his own time”.
In 2000, Benedict wrote his own book entitled The Spirit of the Liturgy, inspired by
the theologian.
Pilgrims walk 1,200 miles to WYD
Four Americans and a Peruvian have spent two months travelling to World Youth Day, walking more than 1,200 miles from Rome to Kraków.
The group, which included 23-year-old Andrew Dierkes from Philadelphia, emulated medieval mendicants, spending their nights in parishes or monasteries. Mr Dierkes said: “I do not understand why, but I believe God called me to walk this pilgrimage.”
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.