Brutal ISIS Murder of French Priest Evokes Shock, Rage and Surprising Solidarity

Last week two radical ISIS members brutally attacked and murdered Fr. Jacques Hamel, bursting into the Catholic church at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, forcing a Mass attendee to film their evil deed, as they slit Fr. Hamel’s throat and then took hostages. The shock is still raw. Fr. Hamel had survived the Normandy invasion only to be brutally and cruelly murdered years later, at age 86.  Yet no evil can obliterate God or his works and purpose. Good is always and forever stronger than evil. And so, in sharp contrast to last week’s events in Normandy, this week 100 Muslims joined more than 2,000 Christians attending Fr. Hamel’s funeral Mass.

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