The martyrdom of Fr Hamel - may he intercede for us from his place in Heaven! - is one of those events that illuminates the political and religious landscapes of our time.
First of all, it is to be noted that the French President and his Prime Minister stayed away from the funeral. The government was represented in the presence of a cabinet minister, but even so, the absence of President Hollande and Prime Minister Valls is significant. There was clearly a risk that their presence might have aroused an adverse reaction. When Prime Minister Valls went to Nice after the atrocity there, he was booed. The French government is losing the confidence of the people, thanks to its inability to protect the nation from terrorism. Other governments, and opposition groups in waiting, should not feel smug about this. After all, would they be any better in delivering policies that would prevent similar attacks? The martyrdom of Fr Hamel underlines the helplessness of all authority in the face of terrorism, and the failure of all western governments to confront the challenge of ISIS, who, let us remember, are still in business.
