The War on Catholicism: The Story of Europe’s First 21st Century Martyr, by Lori Brannigan Kelly

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

Today marks the 8-year anniversary of the tragic murder of Father Jacques Hamel, a French Catholic priest killed by two Islamic terrorists while celebrating Mass in a church in the small town of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen in France.  According to eyewitness accounts, Hamel’s last words before getting his throat slashed were “Va-t’en, Satan,” meaning in English “Get away, Satan.”

Hamel is widely regarded as Europe’s first 21^st century martyr.  His story is compelling for countless reasons, but perhaps the strongest being that the attack on Hamel is symbolic of the multitudinous, increasing, and brutal assaults suffered by the Catholic Church over the past several decades. …

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