# France marks 10‑year anniversary of Jacques Hamel murder

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/france-commemorates-jacques-hamel-murder
> Updated: 2026-07-26T01:37:44.000Z. Sources: 33. Developments: 2.

On 26 July 2026 France commemorated the tenth anniversary of the 2016 stabbing of Father Jacques Hamel in Saint‑Étienne‑du‑Rouvray. The ceremony took place in the church where Hamel was killed and featured a televised Mass presided over by Cardinal Jean‑Marc Aveline. President Emmanuel Macron joined Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, former President François Hollande, former interior ministers Bernard Cazeneuve and Laurent Nunez, former prime minister Édouard Philippe, and dozens of local officials. A commemorative plaque was unveiled on the church’s forecourt, and Hamel’s sister Roseline Hamel spoke about forgiveness and the ongoing push for inter‑faith dialogue.

The attackers, Adel Kermiche and Abdel‑Malik Petitjean, both 19, had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and were shot dead by police at the scene. The 2022 convictions of three accomplices and the life sentence in absentia for Rachid Kassim were recalled. The Vatican’s beatification process for Hamel, opened in 2017, remains under review. The event reinforced France’s stance against terrorism while honoring Hamel’s message of fraternity across faiths.

## Claims

- Father Jacques Hamel was murdered on 26 July 2016 while celebrating Mass in Saint‑Étienne‑du‑Rouvray. (corroborated by 20 sources)
- The attackers were 19‑year‑old Adel Kermiche and Abdel‑Malik Petitjean, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. (corroborated by 19 sources)
- Police shot dead the two attackers at the scene of the attack. (corroborated by 19 sources)
- In March 2022 a French court convicted three men of terrorist conspiracy linked to the attack and sentenced a fourth defendant to life imprisonment. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- On 26 July 2026 a national ceremony was held in Saint‑Étienne‑du‑Rouvray with President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, former President François Hollande and other officials. (corroborated by 13 sources)
- Cardinal Jean‑Marc Aveline presided over the Mass celebrated during the ceremony. (corroborated by 13 sources)
- A commemorative plaque was unveiled on the church forecourt during the ceremony. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The Vatican opened a beatification cause for Father Hamel in May 2017; the process remains pending in 2026. (corroborated by 3 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-07-26: France commemorates Father Jacques Hamel on 10‑year anniversary

Father Jacques Hamel was murdered on 26 July 2016; a decade‑later France held a national ceremony with leaders, a Mass, a plaque unveiling, and noted the pending beatification and 2022 terror‑trial convictions.

27 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/france-marks-10year-anniversary-of-priest-jacques-hamels-murder

### 2026-07-23: France marks 10 years since priest Jacques Hamel was slain

France commemorates the 10th anniversary of Father Jacques Hamel’s 2016 killing with a televised Mass, a silent march, and reflections on forgiveness and inter‑faith dialogue.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/france-marks-10-years-since-priest-jacques-hamel-was-slain

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Cite as: France marks 10‑year anniversary of Jacques Hamel murder. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/france-commemorates-jacques-hamel-murder