Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. After the murder of a French priest Tuesday by attackers who pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic state, Muslims joined Catholics throughout Europe to celebrate mass Sunday. Updated Aug. Muslims in France and Italy joined Catholics to celebrate Mass following the murder of a priest earlier this week by two young men who claimed allegiance to the self-described Islamic State. Archbishop Lebrun went into the congregation to greet Muslim leaders in attendance, as well as three nuns who were at the Mass where Hamel was killed.
There had been concerns of religious tensions after Hamel's murder, one of a string recent attacks including one in Nice on July 14 that claimed 84 lives. The jihadists had aimed to "set the French people against each other, attack religion in order to start a war of religions," as Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. ISIS and other jihad groups aimed to attack areas where Muslims lived in peace with other religious groups with the goal of making it impossible for them to live in peace, encouraging the Muslim community to join the jihadists.
France's 5 million Muslims are part of the country and must be respected, Valls said, discouraging discrimination against the community. Dalil Boubakeur, a leader of France's Muslim community, called the attack a "blasphemous sacrilege which goes against all the teachings of our religion.
Outside the church, a group of Muslims were applauding for holding a banner reading "Love for all. Hate for none. In Lyon, in southeastern Italy, a "brotherhood march" brought together Muslims and Catholics holding banners reading "This is not a religious war" and "We are all brothers and sisters". Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in.
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