Pope Francis laments the death of Fr. Olivier Maire, SMM, a
French priest who was murdered on Sunday, allegedly at the hands of a man he
was assisting.
By Devin Watkins
As he greeted the French-speaking faithful at the Wednesday
General Audience, Pope Francis took the opportunity to offer his condolences
for the death of a French priest.
“I learned of the murder of Father Olivier Maire with great
sorrow,” he said. “I extend my condolences to the religious community of the
Monfortians in Saint-laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, to his family and to all
Catholics in France.”
The Pope also assured those affected by his death of his
spiritual nearness.
French Bishops and religious have also expressed their
admiration for the generosity of the slain priest.
Fr. Olivier Maire was the provincial superior of the Company
of Mary in France.
He and his religious community had been offering shelter to
a 40-year-old Rwandan immigrant who is a suspect in the arson attack on the
Cathedral of Nantes in June 2020.
On Monday, the man turned himself in to police, confessing
to the murder of Fr. Maire. Police have detained him and are treating him as a
suspect in the ongoing investigation.
An autopsy revealed that Fr. Maire died after “violent
blows” to the head, according to the prosecutor of La-Roche-sur-Yon.
“The victim had six lesions, all to the head, inflicted by
violent blows,” reads the autopsy report, which was unable to determine the
weapon used to strike the priest.
Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo - SRI LANKA
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