France marks 10 years since priest Jacques Hamel was slain

Ten years after the 2016 attack in Saint‑Étienne‑du‑Rouvray, Normandy, where 86‑year‑old Father Jacques Hamel was killed while celebrating Mass, the French Catholic Church is organizing commemorations. Cardinal Jean‑Marc Aveline and Archbishop Dominique Lebrun will preside over a televised Mass at the site of the murder on July 26, accompanied by Hamel’s sister Roseline Hamel, who will also take part in a silent march from the rectory.

The anniversary highlights the priest’s legacy, the forgiveness expressed by his sister, and an unusual friendship that formed between Roseline Hamel and Nassera Kermiche, mother of one of the attackers. Their joint memoir, “Sisters in Sorrow,” was released in 2025, and Roseline plans to discuss her brother’s cause for beatification with Pope Leo XIV in Rome. The events have prompted broader reflections on inter‑faith dialogue and the societal impact of the 2016 tragedy.