Rouen Cathedral is literally under siege. Armed with rifle, CRS and gendarmes keep all exits of the place of worship for the funeral on Tuesday, Father Jacques Hamel. Before entering, the faithful are searched. Then, under escort, they are conducted in small groups inside. “The Hamel father was a simple man. We kept up to spaces that anonymous can attend funeral, “has insisted before the ceremony, the archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun.
A half hour before the funeral, the cathedral, containing 1,700 seats, was packed. On the square, a thousand faithful courageously braved the rain. non-practicing Catholics, Jacques and Brigitte, a couple of sixty years who lives in the region were keen to be there. “would have the faithful of all religions attend father’s funeral Hamel , they confide. We have traveled to countries where communities live in harmony. We must have it in France. “
Two imams of Iraqi origin
assassinated by two terrorists last week in Saint-Etienne-du Rouvray (Seine-Maritime), the priest became a symbol, that of the “martyr” in the Christian rhetoric, but also – and perhaps especially – the gathering and unity. “It was a good priest who loved the people, the poor. He was a man of living together “, said it Sayadi Bashar, chairman of the Union of Muslims of Rouen. Two imams of Iraqi origin of a small Shiite mosque des Lilas (Seine-Saint-Denis) have made a special trip to attend the funeral. “It is a duty, they say. It’s the same gun that killed 300 people in July in a market in Baghdad and Hamel father.”
in the middle of the choir, the priest’s coffin landed on the floor. Above, two priests extend a white chasuble and stole a red, the color of blood. Chosen by the family, a photo shows Jacques Hamel in suit and tie, away from his ecclesiastical attributes. At the top of the nave, the front rows are reserved for political figures. There is in particular the Minister of the Interior, in charge of Religious Affairs, Bernard Cazeneuve, the president of the Constitutional Council, Laurent Fabius, former elected in the region, and Hervé Morin, chairman of the Normandy Regional Council. “We are gathered here as Jacques Hamel has not liked: a church with personalities and a crowd of cameras … We are also as the father would have liked Jacques: get together, communicate, being attentive to each other “, decrypts Dominique Lebrun.
War of Algeria
Discreet, silent until the funeral, violently shaken, the Hamel family evokes their brother and uncle with great emotion. Shaky, his sister Rose says that during the war in Algeria, he refused to be an officer because he did not want to “to order his men to kill other men.” one of her nieces, Jessica, said her admiration “for her patience and kindness” . From Jacques Hamel, it retains its message. “After Charlie Hebdo I posted this sentence:” May we keep tolerance and discernment. ” I did not have to apply this sentence to me with as much force and conviction. But I will do and will succeed the “, she said, collapsed.
In a strong homily, the archbishop of Rouen honors Jacques Hamel, denounces the evil that is “a mystery” , calls for resistance by peace, even if it is not “forgive the murderers, those who make a pact with the devil” . “The words and the many gestures of our Muslim friends, their visit is a significant step” , he relies. A homily in the tone of what is said, for one week, religious leaders: unity to counter possible revenge temptations.
At the end of the ceremony, the bell tolls. A long procession of prelates and priests accompanied the coffin to the forecourt. The crowd applauded. According to the wishes of the family, the place of burial is unknown
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