“There are Christians today who are murdered, tortured, imprisoned and beheaded because they do not deny Jesus Christ”, Pope Francis said in the homily of the Mass he celebrated at Casa Santa Marta today in remembrance of the priest who was murdered in the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on 26 July. Pope Francis celebrated Mass 7am this morning as a sign of closeness with the relatives of Fr. Jacques Hamel and the entire Rouen community: participating in the Mass were a group of 80 pilgrims from the diocese accompanied by their bishop, Mgr. Dominique Lebrun.

“Christians who suffer today for not denying Jesus – either in jail or because they are killed or tortured – make us see the cruelty of this persecution”, Pope Francis continued, delivering his homily completely off the cuff. “And this cruelty which asks for apostasy – let us say it – is satanic”. Hence the wish expressed by the Pope: “How wonderful it would be if all religious denominations said: killing in the name of God is satanic”. “Fr. Jacques Hamel – Pope Francis recalled – was slain beside the Cross as he was celebrating the very sacrifice of Christ’s Cross. He was a good and humble man, a man of fraternity, a committed peacemaker, who was murdered as if he were a criminal. This is the satanic motif of persecution”. “But there is something about this man who has accepted his martyrdom there, on the altar, the place of Christ’s martyrdom, that makes me think so much”, Pope Francis said: “In the difficult moment he was living, in the tragedy that he saw coming, this good and humble man, a man of fraternity, did not lose the lucidity to accuse his assassin and call him by his name: ‘Go away, Satan!’. He gave his life for us, he gave his life so as not to deny Jesus. He gave his life in the same sacrifice of Jesus on the altar, and from there he accused the author of the persecution: ‘Go away, Satan’”.