Demonstrations of Interfaith Fraternity Following Priest’s Murder

Hundreds of Muslims have attended Catholic Mass following the murder of Father Jacques Hamel in Rouen, France. Members of the Catholic Community were heartened by this demonstration of solidarity, as the Archbishop of Rouen stated: ‘It’s an important gesture of fraternity. They’ve told us, and I think they’re sincere, that it’s not Islam which killed Jacques Hamel.’ Pope Francis has also spoken out in the aftermath of the attack against the identification of Islam with violence: ‘If I speak about Islamic violence, I need to speak about Catholic violence.’