Before the General Audience, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at 7 a.m. from within the chapel of his residence in Casa Santa Marta. He will honor the late Father Jacques Hamel, his family, and the entire community of Rouen, France. A small group of 80 pilgrims from the Diocese of Rouen, together with their bishop, Msgr. Dominique
Lebrun, will attend the funeral Mass for the 85-year-old priest that was killed on July 26 in the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
The pope expressed his 'closenessâ? to the relatives of the priest and to 'the entire community of Rouen.â?
Fr. Jacques Hamel's murder was the first attack against a Catholic priest on European soil, after the string of attacks that have occurred in recent years, especially in France.
