French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to a priest murdered during the 2016 Normandy Islamist church attack. Servant of God Fr Jacques Hamel served the Catholic church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy when it was attacked on July 26, 2016, by two armed men who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Macron said in a July 26 statement marking 10 years since his death: “We do not forget Father Jacques Hamel. Ten years ago today, he was cowardly murdered by two Islamist terrorists, targeted because he embodied the refusal of hatred, fraternity, and hope. To his loved ones, to his parishioners and all the residents of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, to the Catholics of France, I extend the Nation’s fraternal and steadfast salute.
