The killing of the 86-year-old priest, who was dedicated to interfaith dialogue, profoundly impacted France and the Catholic community worldwide.
Fatally stabbed eighteen times while conducting mass in his church, France honors Father Jacques Hamel a decade after his murder by two terrorists pledged to the Islamic State group.
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Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, close to Rouen, serves as the focal point for Sunday’s remembrances, attended by government officials, including François Hollande, who was president during the attack, along with approximately one hundred elected representatives.
A mass takes place in the same church where the 86-year-old clergyman was murdered, led by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops’ Conference.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu delivered a speech, according to Matignon, preceding a tribute to police officers, firefighters, and SAMU emergency medical personnel who responded during the July 26, 2016 assault.
In a post on X, the national police of Seine-Maritime honored Jacques Hamel’s memory and praised the «exemplary bravery» of their officers who confronted the horror.
«Today, our thoughts are with him, his family, and everyone who acted humanely,» the statement reads.
Bernard Cazeneuve, interior minister at the time, recalls «the image of this man of peace, the courage of the BRI and BAC units who stopped the jihadists, […], the national sorrow that followed, and the unity among the people beyond faith and affiliations, grounded in human and republican values.»
«These are the foundations of the nation called France,» he adds.
Both attackers, 19-year-olds Adel Kermiche and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, were fatally shot by police.
On March 9, 2022, three associates—Yassine Sebaihia, Farid Khelil and Jean-Philippe Steven Jean-Louis—were tried for «criminal terrorist conspiracy» and sentenced to eight, ten, and thirteen years in prison respectively.
A fourth defendant, Rachid Kassim, absent from the trial and believed to have died in Iraq in 2017, received a life sentence in absentia.
Established in 2017 by the Federation of Catholic Media, the Father Jacques Hamel Prize annually honors journalistic works that promote peace, fraternity, and interreligious dialogue.
Additional sources • AFP