Catholic Herald, London Newsroom — Three people have been killed following a knife attack in a church in Nice. The incident occurred at around 9am local time this morning. A police source has suggested that one of the victims, a woman, was decapitated in the attacks which saw many others injured. The French anti-terrorist prosecutor’s department is investigating the attack, which took place in Notre Dame church – the largest Roman Catholic church in the city.
Town mayor Christian Estrosi has commented on the attacks on Twitter. “I am at the scene with the police, who have arrested the perpetrator of the attack” he Tweeted to his 177,000 followers, before adding “our country can no longer be satisfied with the laws … destroy Islamo-fascism.” Politician Marine Le Pen, President of the National Rally political party, echoed Estrosi’s sentiments, stating: “The dramatic acceleration of Islamist acts of war against our citizens and our country demands a response from our leaders aimed at eradicating Islamism from our soil.”
The incident occurs just one month after the beheading of Samuel Paty in Paris. At the time, the Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun issued a statement saying “May the murderer and those who feed fanaticism find the light of a true encounter with God. God never wants death, not even of the wicked. He wants humanity to turn away from Evil and reconnect with its duty of loving one another.”
The Catholic Herald has reached out to the Diocese of Nice and is awaiting comment.
(This is a developing story check our website for updates.)
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