“I am not going to this trial with a light heart”, confides the Archbishop of Rouen
The Archbishop of Rouen appointed himself to France Bleu Normandie, before the opening of the trial of the Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray attack which cost the life of Father Jacques Hamel in July 2016. Monsignor Lebrun will testify at the bar, to say the pain, the path of mourning and the horizon of forgiveness.
The father Dominique Lebrun has long hesitated to become a civil party in this case, out of respect for Father Hamel’s family. “But I think I would have slipped away” confides the Archbishop of Rouen, whose diocese like all of France was shaken by this assassination. Through Father Jacques Hamel, it is obviously the Church that was targeted. Dominique Lebrun therefore had to account for the suffering of his diocese, the long road of mourning and the horizon of forgiveness.
What will be the state of my heart at the time of the trial? I don’t know yet, but I pray that he is well oriented
“I await justice” indicates the Archbishop of Rouen who waits to hear and meet the eyes of the accused. Dominique Lebrun also hopes to understand how men came to consider such violent actions. “on people as innocent as Father Jacques Hamel”. He is not going to this trial with a light heart, but he will try to attend as much as possible, with forgiveness as a horizon. “The horizon of justice is for the Christian like Jesus, to be able to say ‘forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing’. What will be the state of my heart at the time of the trial? don’t know yet, but I pray that it will be well oriented” explains Dominique Lebrun.
Of course they wanted to blow up the West. I give thanks to God because their criminal plan did not come to fruition.
The trial will also no doubt be a step to move forward in mourning. That of the victims first. “And really, I believe that we must not step over what the family of Father Hamel, Mr. and Mrs. Coponet and the sisters can live and respect and help each other. What I believe we are doing”. But the assassination of Father Hamel has had such support in France and in the world that this mourning is widely shared and that questions have arisen, in particular about the compatibility of religions.
Fortunately, the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray attack did not cause the chaos that the terrorists hoped for. “I give thanks to God because their criminal plan did not succeed” confides the Archbishop of Rouen. “I’m not going to tell you that all is well in the best of the world […] The difficulties of culture, of assimilation, of encounters, of dialogue, of understanding as well as of what the place of religion should be in our society are questions which are before us, but which we can tackle in friendship, in time, respect for each other, in dialogue” found Dominique Lebrun. Several vigils will be organized throughout the trial.
The trial will be held before the Special Assize Court of Paris from Monday February 14 to Friday March 11, 2022