France fears religious war after killing of Catholic priest

The political leaders in France have expressed fears of a religious war, after the murder of a Catholic priest marked a new direction for jihadi terrorism in the country. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the intention of the highly symbolic murder was to “provoke a war of religion in France”.

On Wednesday morning, President Francois Hollande met religious leaders in a bid to calm tensions and prevent further violence.

The murder of Father Jacques Hamel, 85, has shocked France, where the majority of people identify as Catholic. The priest and four worshippers at the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, Normandy, were held hostage by Adel Kermiche, 19, and another man, who has not yet been identified. They were later shot dead by police.

While France has suffered numerous terrorist attacks in the last 18 months, some observers said the latest atrocity is the first attempt to deliberately target the core, rural section of French society. The priest was killed in a church close to Rouen, where Joan of Arc was martyred in 1431.

In comments reported by the Irish Times, Mr Valls said: “By attacking a priest, in a Catholic church, the objective was to pit French people against each other, to attack one religion to provoke a war of religions.”

In some quarters, there were elements which appeared encourage this. Marion Le Pen, Catholic niece of the right wing Front National party leader, Marine Le Pen, tweeted on Tuesday: “In the West as in the East, Christians must stand up to resist Islam!”

She added: “Faced with the threat that weighs on the France, I decided to join the military reserve. I invite all the young patriots to do the same.”