A generationA Catholic priest was found dead in a small community near Nantes in western France. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin assured Catholics in the country on Monday that he would support him “after this dramatic murder.” That night, he said at the scene that the attack on the clergy would be an attack on the soul of France. The head of state Emmanuel Macron also expressed condolences on Twitter and mourned the dead priest. The alleged perpetrator was arrested. Prosecutor La-Roche-sur-Yon launched an investigation. She ruled out the background of terrorism.
As the prosecutor said, after the incident, a man surrendered to the police station in a neighboring village. According to the French Broadcasting Corporation, the alleged perpetrator was a 40-year-old man who set fire in Nantes Cathedral last year.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the 60-year-old death priest was found in the community of Father Montfortan in the village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre. According to media reports, he was apparently shot to death in the head in his room.
The alleged perpetrator was accepted by the Association of Pastors after receiving psychiatric treatment at the end of May. According to a letter from the Conference of Bishops of France, the priest who has been killed personally placed the man. Interior Minister Darmanin confirmed that the suspect is receiving psychological treatment. Before the upcoming trial, he was at large under the supervision of the judiciary.
This man from Rwanda, an East African country, worked as a volunteer in the parish until he set fire at Nantes Cathedral, but was threatened by being deported by France. In the past year, the confessor has not said about his motives. Part of the church caught fire after arson. The fire destroyed the main organs and damaged windows.
Le Pen condemns “the failure of the country”
Across the country, French politicians were shocked by the violence. Right-wing populists and multiple presidential candidates, Marina Le Pen, Condemned “the complete failure of the state and Gerald Dammanen.” She tweeted: “So in France, you can stay illegally, set the Nantes Cathedral on fire, never be deported, and repeat the same mistakes for murdering the pastor.”
The Interior Minister accused right-wing populists of “debating without knowing the facts”. He also said on Twitter: “Despite the deportation order, as long as the judicial supervision is not lifted, the foreigner cannot be deported.” He assured the Catholics in the country of his support.
The most recent fatal attack on French Catholic clergy occurred a few months ago. In October last year, a 22-year-old Tunisian killed three people with a knife at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Nice. In 2019, a 90-year-old priest was beaten and suffocated in the Oise area.
The behavior is related to the complaint about the man’s “improper behavior towards minors” decades ago. In 2016, the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a priest in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
