EUROPE/FRANCE - Bishops: "despite the pain, Catholics refuse to give in to fear"

Paris (Agenzia Fides) - A few hours after the Islamist terrorist attack, in which three people were killed yesterday morning (October 29) in the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice, the French Bishops' Conference expressed its deep regret in a statement its profound regret, and reiterated that "despite the pain, Catholics refuse to give in to fear".
"The murders that took place this morning in Nice in the Notre-Dame Basilica plunge the Conference of Bishops of France into immense sadness", the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims, the wounded, their families and their loved ones. These people were attacked and killed because they were in the Basilica. They were a symbol to be destroyed".
In this context, the Bishops recall the murder of Father Hamel, who was killed on July 26, 2016 by two Islamists at the altar of his church in Saint-Étienne du Rouvray in the Archdiocese of Rouen (see Fides, 26/7/2016; 12/3/2019; 27/7/2020).
"Our whole country has been hit by these terrible acts - they continue -. This terrorism aims to create fear in our entire society. It is urgent to stop this cancerous tumor, just as it is urgent to find the indispensable fraternity which will keep us all united in the face of these threats". The Bishops conclude by assuring that "despite the pain that surrounds them, Catholics refuse to give in to fear and, together with the whole nation, want to face this insidious and blind threat". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2020)

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