Pope Francis did not mince his words saying, "To kill in the name of God is satanic.". He continued, "Fr Jacques Hamel had his throat slit on the cross, at the exact moment he was celebrating the sacrifice of Christ’s cross. A good man, meek, brotherly and who always sought to make peace, was murdered as if he were a criminal. This is the satanic line of persecution,"
Pope Francis reflected on the mystery of Christ, "who made himself a martyr for the salvation of men and women. Christians are murdered, tortured, imprisoned and beheaded because they do not deny Jesus Christ. Father Jacques is a part of this chain of martyrs. The Christians, who suffer today — be it in prison, in death or by torture — for not denying Jesus Christ, show the very cruelty of this persecution. And this cruelty that asks for apostasy, we can say, is Satanic,"
Nonetheless, the Pope noted, Fr Hamel accepted his martyrdom and in his final moments, "did not lose the lucidity to accuse and clearly say the name of his murderer. He clearly said, ‘Be gone, Satan.'. This example of courage, as well as the martyrdom of his own life when he gave himself to help others, to help create brotherhood, helps us to go forward without fear," the Pope said.
Fr Hamel’s sister, Roselyne, told reporters after the Mass she is convinced that neither her brother nor Pope Francis were blaming Islam for the murders. "God is love," Roselyn said, the assassins who "killed my brother did so in the name of a god who is not the God of Islam nor the God of Christianity."
"The assassins, I think, acted under the influence of the devil, of Satan," Archbishop Lebrun said. When Fr Hamel said, "‘Be gone, Satan,’ he had already been stabbed and was on the floor. His sister immediately gave me a correct interpretation: ‘Father Jacques did not believe these young men were the origin of this evil.'"
The Archbishop Lebrun, Archbishop of Rouen said that since the murder there has been an obvious increase in fear among the people of the region and priests have reported receiving dozens of phone calls asking if it is safe to go to church. "But there are more people at Mass now," he said.
"Jesus never said it was stupid to be afraid," Archbishop Lebrun told reporters. "When he tells his disciples, "Do not be afraid," he is telling them to acknowledge their fear and overcome it with the strength of faith."
Father Jacques death serves to remind us that we are blessed to have the freedom to practice our faith and not to take this freedom for granted as it is fragile and under attack.
Blessed Jacques Hamel (Priest and Martyr) pray for us
The text of Pope Francis' sermon can be found using the following link - click here
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