French church hit by jihadist murder reopens

AFP, SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France: Some two months after jihadists murdered a French priest in cold blood while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades was to reopen its doors on Sunday.
Observances laden with symbolism will be aimed at cleansing a sanctuary profaned by the murder of 85-year-old J. Hamel as well as seeking inter-faith reconciliation.
The day’s events, to be led by Archbishop Dominique Leb-run of the nearby city of Rouen, will be “oriented towards seeking forgiveness, reconciliation and peace,” he told AFP.
A special mass will pay tribute to Hamel, who was at the altar of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when his throat was slit by two teenaged jihadists in the first such attack on a Christian church in Europe.
But first, clerics will perform a ritual to symbolically purify the church by sprinkling holy water through the sanctuary, Lebrun said.
A week after the July 26 attack claimed by the Islamic State group, Lebrun presided over Hamel’s funeral at the Rouen cathedral attended by President  Hollande and Premier Valls.

French church hit by jihadist murder reopens

AFP, SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France: Some two months after jihadists murdered a French priest in cold blood while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades was to reopen its doors on Sunday. Observances laden with symbolism will be aimed at cleansing a sanctuary profaned by the murder of 85-year-oldJ. Hamel as well as seeking inter-faith reconciliation. The days events, to be led by Archbishop Dominique Leb-run of the nearby city of Rouen, will be oriented towards seeking forgiveness, reconciliation and peace, he told AFP. A special mass will pay tribute to Hamel, who was at the altar of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when his throat was slit by two teenaged jihadists in the first such attack on a Christian church in Europe. But first, clerics will perform a ritual to symbolically purify the church by sprinkling holy water through the sanctuary, Lebrun said. A week after the July 26 attack claimed by the Islamic State group, Lebrun presided over Hamels funeral at the Rouen cathedral attended by President Hollande and Premier Valls.