It was the suffering of Roseline Hamel, the sister of Father Jacques Hamel, and that of the mother of the young jihadist, Nassera Kermiche, who\u2014for security reasons\u2014was not recognizable, was wearing sunglasses, and was sitting at an angle to the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"<\/strong>\u2019Soeurs de douleur\u2019 (Sisters in Sorrow)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis is a summary of the hours leading up to Father Hamel\u2019s murder on that day in 2016\u201410 years ago\u2014including how both women and their families experienced those events, how they met and became friends, and how they reconciled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now they are \u201cSoeurs de douleur\u2019 (Sisters in Pain), as is the title of the book published by Ares-LEV, in which they have told their story. We\u2019ll focus on excerpts from what they shared at the Rimini Meeting, which you can watch in the video at the end, at a reference<\/a> from the Vatican news agency, and some articles published, for example, in *Il Messaggero*.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the morning of July 27, 2016, Father Hamel was celebrating Holy Mass at his parish in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, in northern France<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the Mass ended, right after the blessing, two young jihadists murdered him. When the police arrived, the two killers were trying to flee and were shot dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly afterward, the news of her brother's death reached his sister, Rosaline. The news that one of Nassera Kermiche's sons, Adel, was involved in the murder reached his mother that afternoon, along with the news of his death. It was a terrible day for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"These women endured indescribable suffering,\" said Bernhard Scholz, \"and we want to start today,\" he added. The sidebars consist of questions from Scholz himself, quotes from the two women, and text from Omnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260727T1155-FATHER-HAMEL-COMMEMORATION-1823998-1024x683.jpg\")
Coffin bearers carry the coffin of Father Jacques Hamel on August 2, 2016, outside the cathedral in Rouen, France, in the presence of numerous priests and other members of the faithful (Photo by OSV News\/Jacky Naegelen, Reuters).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRoseline, what happened that day? How did you experience it? And above all, how did it affect you?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Roseline: That day was truly unexpected. We had arrived in northern France, in the town where my brother\u2014my dear brother Jacques Hamel\u2014lived, to help him during his last week on the job, and then we were planning to go on vacation together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We arrived on July 25, which was Saint Anne\u2019s Day. That night, we asked my brother\u2014I was there with my grandchildren, too\u2014we asked him, \u201cHow is it possible for such extremely violent acts to occur? How can one human being do something so terrible to another human being?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of dinner, he told us, \u201cI have something important to tell you. I\u2019m happy to have you here at my table.\u201d And that struck us as strange coming from my brother, because by nature he was someone who didn\u2019t know how to show his joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's the morning of July 26, and the phone rings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 We saw that my brother got up very early because he had to celebrate morning Mass. He forgot that we were sleeping. He was so used to living alone and having no one at home that he made quite a bit of noise getting up, eating breakfast, and so on. And at one point, he opened the door\u2014you could hear it creak\u2014and we could smell the aroma of coffee filling the whole house. He had laid everything out for us\u2014bread, jam, and butter\u2014and we were all there together when the phone rang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I usually didn't answer the phone when I was at my brother's house because I thought, \"What if someone asks me about the Mass times and I don't know them?\" So, I didn't usually answer the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of my grandchildren said to me, \u201cGrandma, why aren\u2019t you answering?\u201d He kept insisting that I had to answer because he was watching cartoons and the phone was keeping him from hearing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I answered, and the person on the other end asked me, \u201cIs this the rectory of Saint-\u00c9tienne? Can you confirm whether the priest is at the church? There\u2019s been an attack, and they\u2019ve taken hostages.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest celebrating Mass in a church.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And I replied, \u201cWell, if this is a joke, whoever you are, it\u2019s really not funny at all.\u201d And I added, \u201cMy brother will be back from church in about 15 minutes, so please call back later.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hung up the phone, went back to the kitchen, and talked to my grandchildren, telling them what I\u2019d been told on the phone, and I said, \u201cThis news can\u2019t be true. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s true, but I\u2019m going to go to church to check it out.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And my daughter says, \u201cMom, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be able to get to church because there\u2019s a huge crowd on the street\u2014it\u2019s packed with people, there are soldiers, the street is blocked off, and even the stores are closing.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the soldier, frowning, told me, \"Go to the funeral home\"\u2014a funeral home that was nearby\u2014and there they made us wait for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest in a church\u2014a priest who was celebrating Mass, the Passion of Christ, and sharing this rite with others, including elderly people who had come to Mass. After waiting for two hours, they told us, \u201cYou may leave.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An employee at a funeral home told me that my brother, Father Jacques, had died<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 But they also told us to wait near a window in the courtyard. And that\u2019s when I started to get really nervous, and my daughter tried to calm me down again, saying, \u201cMom, we\u2019ve been waiting this long. Let\u2019s wait another 5 minutes. Be patient.\u201d And I waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there, in the funeral home\u2019s courtyard, we see two firefighters arrive\u2014the ones who normally help people during disasters\u2014and they stand there in silence, along with a third person wearing a white lab coat covered in blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m starting to get really nervous, losing my composure, and I turn to these people. And I snap at them, \u201cMove it\u2014go find my brother.\u201d Then a funeral home employee comes up to me and says, \u201cIt\u2019s all over. There have been two victims\u2014one injured person who\u2019s in the hospital, and the other is your brother, who has died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was stunned; it came as a shock, as if a bullet had gone right through me, as if a bomb had exploded inside me. I started screaming my brother\u2019s name in desperation because I couldn\u2019t believe news of that magnitude. And my oldest daughter, who had been by my side the whole time, said to me, \u201cMom, please, I\u2019m begging you, stop screaming. Uncle isn\u2019t coming back, no matter how much you scream.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the nurse said to my daughter, \u201cLet your mother scream.\u201d If she needs to scream\u2014even for hours\u2014let her scream. I screamed so violently that it caused a problem with my diaphragm, and a few months later I had a lung problem because of those loud screams. I even had to have surgery because of this, but thank God I\u2019ve recovered now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PadreJacquesHamelFotoDiocesisdeRouenFrancia.jpg\")
Father Jacques Hamel, born on November 30, 1930, in Darn\u00e9tal, was ordained a priest on June 30, 1958, in Rouen and murdered on July 26, 2016, at the Church of Saint-\u00c9tienne in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray (@Archdiocese of Rouen, France).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAn indescribable pain\u2014for you, too. How did you, Nassera, experience that day?<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Nassera: For me, that day started very early, at 7:30, because I woke up at that time, and I remember seeing my son (Adel) that morning\u2014perhaps God granted me the chance to see him one last time\u2014and I asked him why he was awake so early. And he said, \u201cWell, I just woke up.\u201d I told him to go back to bed. Then I went back to my room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember turning on the TV and there was nothing interesting on, so I went back to sleep. A little while later, I remember the phone ringing; it was the police chief, asking me if my son Adel was home. I\u2019d seen him just a few moments, just a few seconds earlier. So I assumed he was still there, because I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d been asleep that long, and I said, \u201cYes, yes, he\u2019s here. Downstairs at home.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the police chief said to me, \u201cGo check if he\u2019s there.\u201d And I saw that my son Adel had gone out, so I said, \u201cWell, yes, he has indeed gone out. I don\u2019t know\u2014I don\u2019t know where he went.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attack <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 I asked the police chief why he had called me, and he said, \u201cBecause there\u2019s been an attack at the church in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray.\u00ab And I was surprised because I hadn\u2019t expected to hear about an attack at that church. So I asked him, \u201dBut why are you calling me?\u201c \u00bbWhy do you think Adel is involved in this attack?\u201c And he said, \u201dI don\u2019t have any more information, but I\u2019ll keep you informed.\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started to worry, turned on the TV, began watching the news, and saw that they were indeed reporting on a terrorist attack, but they weren't giving many details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember asking my daughter to go over to the church to see what was going on\u2014maybe she'd run into her brother there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few minutes later, she called me and said, \u201cMom, look, there are so many people here, the police are here, I can\u2019t see anything\u2014everything\u2019s blocked off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She went home, and in the meantime, I called the police chief again and asked him if there was any\u2014if he had any more news\u2014and he told me, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t have any more information at this time.\u201d He had to be back home before 12:30 because he was under certain restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My son hasn't come home, and a reporter is coming to our house<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 But that\u2019s not happening; my son isn\u2019t coming back. Around 11:30, a reporter comes to our house and rings the doorbell. \u201cI heard the name Kermiche outside the church.\u201d That\u2019s when we really started to worry. Meanwhile, my daughter Sabrina, my daughter Anisa, and my son Sofian are by my side, but he\u2019s still missing. It\u2019s 12:30 p.m. Adel still hasn\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We turned on the TV, and they were talking about people who had died and people who had been injured, but we didn't know exactly what had happened inside the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I called the police chief again. He probably already knew what had happened but simply didn\u2019t have the courage to tell me over the phone, and he said, \u201cGather at home.\u201d Meanwhile, the special units arrived\u2014many police officers from various different police departments\u2014and began searching the house. At that moment, we realized that Adel was involved, but we never would have thought he had died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We didn't expect my son to have died. A long period of suffering began\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the police station, the news<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 The questioning lasted 4 hours, and after 4 hours they asked us to follow the police to the police station. Once there, I said, \u201cWell, it seems my son is involved in the attack in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, but I don\u2019t know much else.\u201d And they said, \u201cYes, he\u2019s involved, and he\u2019s passed away.\u201d And that\u2019s how I found out about my son\u2019s death. At that moment, I knew for certain that he was gone, that he had died. That news hit us as if the sky had come crashing down on our heads. We weren\u2019t expecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so began a long period of suffering for both of them, filled with many agonizing, unanswered questions\u2014and social isolation as well, because, of course, people began to look at the family in a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roseline, how did the initiative to find Nassera come about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n-<\/strong> Roseline: Right away, I had this idea, this desire. When we returned home, my children and grandchildren, who had been there with us, went back to their own homes and began to come to terms with this pain\u2014the pain of that hellish day. Once I was home, I began to wonder how I would be able to survive all of this, how I would be able to find new meaning in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI began to talk and converse with God\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 I then began to talk and converse with God. For months I continued to talk with the Lord, trying to find an answer. I lacked patience. I was very restless because I couldn\u2019t find an answer\u2014an answer in Him\u2014so I sought an answer in the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was looking for a word, a parable\u2014something that could be with me, that would answer my questions, that would comfort me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260727T1250-FATHER-HAMEL-COMMEMORATION-1824032-1024x768.jpg\")
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the French Bishops\u2019 Conference (in the center, alongside Roseline Hamel, sister of Fr. Jacques, and other family members), bishops, and civil authorities during a silent march toward the church of Saint-\u00c9tienne on July 26, 2026, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Father Jacques Hamel in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, France, on July 26, 2016. (Photo by OSV News\/Antoine-Marie IZOARD\/Catholic Press Photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cGod is answering me. In your suffering, I carried you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And finally, after a few weeks, I came across a line from a similar story\u2014the story of a man who was carrying a heavy burden, a great pain, and who had a friend (\u2026), And this man who was suffering, carrying such a heavy burden, said to his friend, \u201cBut you\u2014where were you while I was suffering so much?\u201d And he asked, \u201cWell, I was right beside you,\u201d his friend replied. And he said, \u201cWhy are you lying?\u201d And the friend said, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not lying. Your suffering\u2014this great burden you\u2019re carrying\u2014was so heavy that I was carrying you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd here I found an answer to my question. Later, during Sunday Mass near my home, I heard the same parable in the homily\u2014a homily that addressed this very topic. And so I said to myself, \u201cWell, God is answering me.\u201d\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShow me the way forward. And I prayed to the Virgin Mary.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 So I allowed myself to say to Him, \u201cShow me the way forward, a path in life that makes sense.\u201d And so I carried on like that for a year. I spent a year reflecting, and after a year I was desperate, on the verge of letting myself die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet I pulled myself together and said: \u201cFor the sake of my children, who suffered with me that day, I have to find the strength to keep going.\u201d So I went to pray before the Piet\u00e0 in my church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And right away I thought of the Virgin Mary\u2014she who had endured the suffering of her own son without being able to intervene, just as I\u2014as we\u2014could not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I said and asked her, \u201cVirgin Mary, give me the strength to keep going, to walk, to follow in my brother\u2019s footsteps, just as you followed in the footsteps of your Son, seeking justice, truth, and peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut God, who could suffer more than I do?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 One morning I was very tired; I didn\u2019t know what to do anymore. I was sitting there with my cup of coffee, saying, \u201dBut God, who could be suffering more than I am? Who could be suffering more than I am?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And over the next few mornings, I woke up with an obsession on my mind. I kept thinking about this woman I didn\u2019t know\u2014this mother, this mom with children\u2014and I said to myself, \u201cMy God, if I were this mother with a son who had committed such a horrible act, how much pain would I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI imagined the suffering of the mother of the son who committed such a horrible act. I can\u2019t leave her alone.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And then I imagined the suffering of this woman, this mother I didn\u2019t know, and the guilt she might be feeling. And it was only natural, given the looks of contempt people can give you, right? You can even lose your job, the trust of your coworkers, your friends\u2014everyone. And I said, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t leave her alone because she\u2019s suffering more than I am. I have to find a way; I have to figure out how and find out where she lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bishop: Follow that path, and I will walk with you.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n-<\/strong> So I spoke with the bishop (of Rouen) to find out if it was a crazy idea. And he told me, \u201cNo, follow this path, and when you\u2019ve found her, let me know because I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd so I started looking for her; I began trying to get in touch with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a few months, we started talking on the phone. Every 15 days, with a bit of shyness at first, but as the weeks went by, our conversations became more and more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa'am,<\/strong> \u00bf<\/strong>\u201dWould she agree to meet with me? And she said, 'I've been waiting for you for a long time.'\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Roseline continued: \u201cAnd finally I asked her, \u2018Ma\u2019am, on the day I come to see you in Saint-\u00c9tienne, would you be willing to meet with me?\u2019 And she said, \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u2019 She\u2019d been waiting for me for a long time.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013Nassera speaks up: A lot more happened after that. I went back to work, even if it was just like a robot. \u201cI have to hold on, I have to hold on for my children, my other children, my family. I can\u2019t break down, because if I break down, the whole family breaks down with me.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, one day (Roseline) suggested I come to Saint-\u00c9tienne, and I told her, \u201cYes, I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u201d,<\/strong> That's where we met, and that's where we got to know each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PadreHamelFoto.jpg\")
Devotion to Father Hamel continues to spread.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLetter from Roseline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAt the Rimini Meeting, Roseline Hamel recalled that eight years earlier she had left a letter\u2014a letter of forgiveness\u2014at the grave of Nassera\u2019s son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other things, it says: \u201cAdel, the soul of my brother Jacques is leading me to you. This is a testament to his forgiveness. The faith of believers is hope, and forgiveness is the path to peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had hidden it away a little so it would be for him (Adel),\u201d said Roseline, \"and she (Nassera) told me, 'It would have been a shame for it to rot away there in the grave, because you wrote such beautiful words for my son that I took the message home so I could keep rereading it.'\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"It had been eight years since I wrote that letter,\" Roseline continues. \"And how is it possible that, despite the pain I was feeling, I found the strength to write those words?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"It can't be any other way,\" said the sister of the Father Hamel<\/a>. It was my brother who gave me these words; he was the one who inspired them. They are part of the first fruit of his martyrdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the Archdiocese of Rouen, the process for the beatification of Fr. Jacques Hamel has been opened. The diocese invites the faithful to share their testimonies voluntarily. They may write<\/a> The Cause for the Canonization of Father Jacques Hamel, Archdiocese of Rouen, 2 rue des Bonnetiers, 76000 Rouen \u2013 beatificationperehamel@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the morning of July 27, 2016, Father Hamel was celebrating Holy Mass at his parish in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, in northern France<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the Mass ended, right after the blessing, two young jihadists murdered him. When the police arrived, the two killers were trying to flee and were shot dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly afterward, the news of her brother's death reached his sister, Rosaline. The news that one of Nassera Kermiche's sons, Adel, was involved in the murder reached his mother that afternoon, along with the news of his death. It was a terrible day for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"These women endured indescribable suffering,\" said Bernhard Scholz, \"and we want to start today,\" he added. The sidebars consist of questions from Scholz himself, quotes from the two women, and text from Omnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCoffin bearers carry the coffin of Father Jacques Hamel on August 2, 2016, outside the cathedral in Rouen, France, in the presence of numerous priests and other members of the faithful (Photo by OSV News\/Jacky Naegelen, Reuters).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRoseline, what happened that day? How did you experience it? And above all, how did it affect you?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Roseline: That day was truly unexpected. We had arrived in northern France, in the town where my brother\u2014my dear brother Jacques Hamel\u2014lived, to help him during his last week on the job, and then we were planning to go on vacation together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We arrived on July 25, which was Saint Anne\u2019s Day. That night, we asked my brother\u2014I was there with my grandchildren, too\u2014we asked him, \u201cHow is it possible for such extremely violent acts to occur? How can one human being do something so terrible to another human being?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of dinner, he told us, \u201cI have something important to tell you. I\u2019m happy to have you here at my table.\u201d And that struck us as strange coming from my brother, because by nature he was someone who didn\u2019t know how to show his joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's the morning of July 26, and the phone rings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 We saw that my brother got up very early because he had to celebrate morning Mass. He forgot that we were sleeping. He was so used to living alone and having no one at home that he made quite a bit of noise getting up, eating breakfast, and so on. And at one point, he opened the door\u2014you could hear it creak\u2014and we could smell the aroma of coffee filling the whole house. He had laid everything out for us\u2014bread, jam, and butter\u2014and we were all there together when the phone rang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I usually didn't answer the phone when I was at my brother's house because I thought, \"What if someone asks me about the Mass times and I don't know them?\" So, I didn't usually answer the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one of my grandchildren said to me, \u201cGrandma, why aren\u2019t you answering?\u201d He kept insisting that I had to answer because he was watching cartoons and the phone was keeping him from hearing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I answered, and the person on the other end asked me, \u201cIs this the rectory of Saint-\u00c9tienne? Can you confirm whether the priest is at the church? There\u2019s been an attack, and they\u2019ve taken hostages.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest celebrating Mass in a church.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And I replied, \u201cWell, if this is a joke, whoever you are, it\u2019s really not funny at all.\u201d And I added, \u201cMy brother will be back from church in about 15 minutes, so please call back later.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hung up the phone, went back to the kitchen, and talked to my grandchildren, telling them what I\u2019d been told on the phone, and I said, \u201cThis news can\u2019t be true. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s true, but I\u2019m going to go to church to check it out.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And my daughter says, \u201cMom, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be able to get to church because there\u2019s a huge crowd on the street\u2014it\u2019s packed with people, there are soldiers, the street is blocked off, and even the stores are closing.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the soldier, frowning, told me, \"Go to the funeral home\"\u2014a funeral home that was nearby\u2014and there they made us wait for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest in a church\u2014a priest who was celebrating Mass, the Passion of Christ, and sharing this rite with others, including elderly people who had come to Mass. After waiting for two hours, they told us, \u201cYou may leave.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An employee at a funeral home told me that my brother, Father Jacques, had died<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 But they also told us to wait near a window in the courtyard. And that\u2019s when I started to get really nervous, and my daughter tried to calm me down again, saying, \u201cMom, we\u2019ve been waiting this long. Let\u2019s wait another 5 minutes. Be patient.\u201d And I waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there, in the funeral home\u2019s courtyard, we see two firefighters arrive\u2014the ones who normally help people during disasters\u2014and they stand there in silence, along with a third person wearing a white lab coat covered in blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m starting to get really nervous, losing my composure, and I turn to these people. And I snap at them, \u201cMove it\u2014go find my brother.\u201d Then a funeral home employee comes up to me and says, \u201cIt\u2019s all over. There have been two victims\u2014one injured person who\u2019s in the hospital, and the other is your brother, who has died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was stunned; it came as a shock, as if a bullet had gone right through me, as if a bomb had exploded inside me. I started screaming my brother\u2019s name in desperation because I couldn\u2019t believe news of that magnitude. And my oldest daughter, who had been by my side the whole time, said to me, \u201cMom, please, I\u2019m begging you, stop screaming. Uncle isn\u2019t coming back, no matter how much you scream.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the nurse said to my daughter, \u201cLet your mother scream.\u201d If she needs to scream\u2014even for hours\u2014let her scream. I screamed so violently that it caused a problem with my diaphragm, and a few months later I had a lung problem because of those loud screams. I even had to have surgery because of this, but thank God I\u2019ve recovered now.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFather Jacques Hamel, born on November 30, 1930, in Darn\u00e9tal, was ordained a priest on June 30, 1958, in Rouen and murdered on July 26, 2016, at the Church of Saint-\u00c9tienne in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray (@Archdiocese of Rouen, France).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAn indescribable pain\u2014for you, too. How did you, Nassera, experience that day?<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Nassera: For me, that day started very early, at 7:30, because I woke up at that time, and I remember seeing my son (Adel) that morning\u2014perhaps God granted me the chance to see him one last time\u2014and I asked him why he was awake so early. And he said, \u201cWell, I just woke up.\u201d I told him to go back to bed. Then I went back to my room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember turning on the TV and there was nothing interesting on, so I went back to sleep. A little while later, I remember the phone ringing; it was the police chief, asking me if my son Adel was home. I\u2019d seen him just a few moments, just a few seconds earlier. So I assumed he was still there, because I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d been asleep that long, and I said, \u201cYes, yes, he\u2019s here. Downstairs at home.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the police chief said to me, \u201cGo check if he\u2019s there.\u201d And I saw that my son Adel had gone out, so I said, \u201cWell, yes, he has indeed gone out. I don\u2019t know\u2014I don\u2019t know where he went.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attack <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 I asked the police chief why he had called me, and he said, \u201cBecause there\u2019s been an attack at the church in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray.\u00ab And I was surprised because I hadn\u2019t expected to hear about an attack at that church. So I asked him, \u201dBut why are you calling me?\u201c \u00bbWhy do you think Adel is involved in this attack?\u201c And he said, \u201dI don\u2019t have any more information, but I\u2019ll keep you informed.\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started to worry, turned on the TV, began watching the news, and saw that they were indeed reporting on a terrorist attack, but they weren't giving many details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember asking my daughter to go over to the church to see what was going on\u2014maybe she'd run into her brother there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few minutes later, she called me and said, \u201cMom, look, there are so many people here, the police are here, I can\u2019t see anything\u2014everything\u2019s blocked off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She went home, and in the meantime, I called the police chief again and asked him if there was any\u2014if he had any more news\u2014and he told me, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t have any more information at this time.\u201d He had to be back home before 12:30 because he was under certain restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My son hasn't come home, and a reporter is coming to our house<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 But that\u2019s not happening; my son isn\u2019t coming back. Around 11:30, a reporter comes to our house and rings the doorbell. \u201cI heard the name Kermiche outside the church.\u201d That\u2019s when we really started to worry. Meanwhile, my daughter Sabrina, my daughter Anisa, and my son Sofian are by my side, but he\u2019s still missing. It\u2019s 12:30 p.m. Adel still hasn\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We turned on the TV, and they were talking about people who had died and people who had been injured, but we didn't know exactly what had happened inside the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I called the police chief again. He probably already knew what had happened but simply didn\u2019t have the courage to tell me over the phone, and he said, \u201cGather at home.\u201d Meanwhile, the special units arrived\u2014many police officers from various different police departments\u2014and began searching the house. At that moment, we realized that Adel was involved, but we never would have thought he had died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We didn't expect my son to have died. A long period of suffering began\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the police station, the news<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 The questioning lasted 4 hours, and after 4 hours they asked us to follow the police to the police station. Once there, I said, \u201cWell, it seems my son is involved in the attack in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, but I don\u2019t know much else.\u201d And they said, \u201cYes, he\u2019s involved, and he\u2019s passed away.\u201d And that\u2019s how I found out about my son\u2019s death. At that moment, I knew for certain that he was gone, that he had died. That news hit us as if the sky had come crashing down on our heads. We weren\u2019t expecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so began a long period of suffering for both of them, filled with many agonizing, unanswered questions\u2014and social isolation as well, because, of course, people began to look at the family in a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roseline, how did the initiative to find Nassera come about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n-<\/strong> Roseline: Right away, I had this idea, this desire. When we returned home, my children and grandchildren, who had been there with us, went back to their own homes and began to come to terms with this pain\u2014the pain of that hellish day. Once I was home, I began to wonder how I would be able to survive all of this, how I would be able to find new meaning in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI began to talk and converse with God\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 I then began to talk and converse with God. For months I continued to talk with the Lord, trying to find an answer. I lacked patience. I was very restless because I couldn\u2019t find an answer\u2014an answer in Him\u2014so I sought an answer in the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was looking for a word, a parable\u2014something that could be with me, that would answer my questions, that would comfort me.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the French Bishops\u2019 Conference (in the center, alongside Roseline Hamel, sister of Fr. Jacques, and other family members), bishops, and civil authorities during a silent march toward the church of Saint-\u00c9tienne on July 26, 2026, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Father Jacques Hamel in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, France, on July 26, 2016. (Photo by OSV News\/Antoine-Marie IZOARD\/Catholic Press Photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cGod is answering me. In your suffering, I carried you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And finally, after a few weeks, I came across a line from a similar story\u2014the story of a man who was carrying a heavy burden, a great pain, and who had a friend (\u2026), And this man who was suffering, carrying such a heavy burden, said to his friend, \u201cBut you\u2014where were you while I was suffering so much?\u201d And he asked, \u201cWell, I was right beside you,\u201d his friend replied. And he said, \u201cWhy are you lying?\u201d And the friend said, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not lying. Your suffering\u2014this great burden you\u2019re carrying\u2014was so heavy that I was carrying you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd here I found an answer to my question. Later, during Sunday Mass near my home, I heard the same parable in the homily\u2014a homily that addressed this very topic. And so I said to myself, \u201cWell, God is answering me.\u201d\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShow me the way forward. And I prayed to the Virgin Mary.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 So I allowed myself to say to Him, \u201cShow me the way forward, a path in life that makes sense.\u201d And so I carried on like that for a year. I spent a year reflecting, and after a year I was desperate, on the verge of letting myself die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet I pulled myself together and said: \u201cFor the sake of my children, who suffered with me that day, I have to find the strength to keep going.\u201d So I went to pray before the Piet\u00e0 in my church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And right away I thought of the Virgin Mary\u2014she who had endured the suffering of her own son without being able to intervene, just as I\u2014as we\u2014could not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I said and asked her, \u201cVirgin Mary, give me the strength to keep going, to walk, to follow in my brother\u2019s footsteps, just as you followed in the footsteps of your Son, seeking justice, truth, and peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut God, who could suffer more than I do?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 One morning I was very tired; I didn\u2019t know what to do anymore. I was sitting there with my cup of coffee, saying, \u201dBut God, who could be suffering more than I am? Who could be suffering more than I am?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And over the next few mornings, I woke up with an obsession on my mind. I kept thinking about this woman I didn\u2019t know\u2014this mother, this mom with children\u2014and I said to myself, \u201cMy God, if I were this mother with a son who had committed such a horrible act, how much pain would I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI imagined the suffering of the mother of the son who committed such a horrible act. I can\u2019t leave her alone.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 And then I imagined the suffering of this woman, this mother I didn\u2019t know, and the guilt she might be feeling. And it was only natural, given the looks of contempt people can give you, right? You can even lose your job, the trust of your coworkers, your friends\u2014everyone. And I said, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t leave her alone because she\u2019s suffering more than I am. I have to find a way; I have to figure out how and find out where she lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bishop: Follow that path, and I will walk with you.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n-<\/strong> So I spoke with the bishop (of Rouen) to find out if it was a crazy idea. And he told me, \u201cNo, follow this path, and when you\u2019ve found her, let me know because I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd so I started looking for her; I began trying to get in touch with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a few months, we started talking on the phone. Every 15 days, with a bit of shyness at first, but as the weeks went by, our conversations became more and more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa'am,<\/strong> \u00bf<\/strong>\u201dWould she agree to meet with me? And she said, 'I've been waiting for you for a long time.'\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u2013 Roseline continued: \u201cAnd finally I asked her, \u2018Ma\u2019am, on the day I come to see you in Saint-\u00c9tienne, would you be willing to meet with me?\u2019 And she said, \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u2019 She\u2019d been waiting for me for a long time.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013Nassera speaks up: A lot more happened after that. I went back to work, even if it was just like a robot. \u201cI have to hold on, I have to hold on for my children, my other children, my family. I can\u2019t break down, because if I break down, the whole family breaks down with me.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, one day (Roseline) suggested I come to Saint-\u00c9tienne, and I told her, \u201cYes, I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u201d,<\/strong> That's where we met, and that's where we got to know each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDevotion to Father Hamel continues to spread.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLetter from Roseline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAt the Rimini Meeting, Roseline Hamel recalled that eight years earlier she had left a letter\u2014a letter of forgiveness\u2014at the grave of Nassera\u2019s son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other things, it says: \u201cAdel, the soul of my brother Jacques is leading me to you. This is a testament to his forgiveness. The faith of believers is hope, and forgiveness is the path to peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had hidden it away a little so it would be for him (Adel),\u201d said Roseline, \"and she (Nassera) told me, 'It would have been a shame for it to rot away there in the grave, because you wrote such beautiful words for my son that I took the message home so I could keep rereading it.'\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"It had been eight years since I wrote that letter,\" Roseline continues. \"And how is it possible that, despite the pain I was feeling, I found the strength to write those words?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"It can't be any other way,\" said the sister of the Father Hamel<\/a>. It was my brother who gave me these words; he was the one who inspired them. They are part of the first fruit of his martyrdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the Archdiocese of Rouen, the process for the beatification of Fr. Jacques Hamel has been opened. The diocese invites the faithful to share their testimonies voluntarily. They may write<\/a> The Cause for the Canonization of Father Jacques Hamel, Archdiocese of Rouen, 2 rue des Bonnetiers, 76000 Rouen \u2013 beatificationperehamel@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the Mass ended, right after the blessing, two young jihadists murdered him. When the police arrived, the two killers were trying to flee and were shot dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly afterward, the news of her brother's death reached his sister, Rosaline. The news that one of Nassera Kermiche's sons, Adel, was involved in the murder reached his mother that afternoon, along with the news of his death. It was a terrible day for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"These women endured indescribable suffering,\" said Bernhard Scholz, \"and we want to start today,\" he added. The sidebars consist of questions from Scholz himself, quotes from the two women, and text from Omnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Roseline: That day was truly unexpected. We had arrived in northern France, in the town where my brother\u2014my dear brother Jacques Hamel\u2014lived, to help him during his last week on the job, and then we were planning to go on vacation together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We arrived on July 25, which was Saint Anne\u2019s Day. That night, we asked my brother\u2014I was there with my grandchildren, too\u2014we asked him, \u201cHow is it possible for such extremely violent acts to occur? How can one human being do something so terrible to another human being?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the beginning of dinner, he told us, \u201cI have something important to tell you. I\u2019m happy to have you here at my table.\u201d And that struck us as strange coming from my brother, because by nature he was someone who didn\u2019t know how to show his joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 We saw that my brother got up very early because he had to celebrate morning Mass. He forgot that we were sleeping. He was so used to living alone and having no one at home that he made quite a bit of noise getting up, eating breakfast, and so on. And at one point, he opened the door\u2014you could hear it creak\u2014and we could smell the aroma of coffee filling the whole house. He had laid everything out for us\u2014bread, jam, and butter\u2014and we were all there together when the phone rang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I usually didn't answer the phone when I was at my brother's house because I thought, \"What if someone asks me about the Mass times and I don't know them?\" So, I didn't usually answer the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But one of my grandchildren said to me, \u201cGrandma, why aren\u2019t you answering?\u201d He kept insisting that I had to answer because he was watching cartoons and the phone was keeping him from hearing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So I answered, and the person on the other end asked me, \u201cIs this the rectory of Saint-\u00c9tienne? Can you confirm whether the priest is at the church? There\u2019s been an attack, and they\u2019ve taken hostages.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 And I replied, \u201cWell, if this is a joke, whoever you are, it\u2019s really not funny at all.\u201d And I added, \u201cMy brother will be back from church in about 15 minutes, so please call back later.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hung up the phone, went back to the kitchen, and talked to my grandchildren, telling them what I\u2019d been told on the phone, and I said, \u201cThis news can\u2019t be true. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s true, but I\u2019m going to go to church to check it out.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And my daughter says, \u201cMom, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be able to get to church because there\u2019s a huge crowd on the street\u2014it\u2019s packed with people, there are soldiers, the street is blocked off, and even the stores are closing.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the soldier, frowning, told me, \"Go to the funeral home\"\u2014a funeral home that was nearby\u2014and there they made us wait for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest in a church\u2014a priest who was celebrating Mass, the Passion of Christ, and sharing this rite with others, including elderly people who had come to Mass. After waiting for two hours, they told us, \u201cYou may leave.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 But they also told us to wait near a window in the courtyard. And that\u2019s when I started to get really nervous, and my daughter tried to calm me down again, saying, \u201cMom, we\u2019ve been waiting this long. Let\u2019s wait another 5 minutes. Be patient.\u201d And I waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And there, in the funeral home\u2019s courtyard, we see two firefighters arrive\u2014the ones who normally help people during disasters\u2014and they stand there in silence, along with a third person wearing a white lab coat covered in blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m starting to get really nervous, losing my composure, and I turn to these people. And I snap at them, \u201cMove it\u2014go find my brother.\u201d Then a funeral home employee comes up to me and says, \u201cIt\u2019s all over. There have been two victims\u2014one injured person who\u2019s in the hospital, and the other is your brother, who has died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was stunned; it came as a shock, as if a bullet had gone right through me, as if a bomb had exploded inside me. I started screaming my brother\u2019s name in desperation because I couldn\u2019t believe news of that magnitude. And my oldest daughter, who had been by my side the whole time, said to me, \u201cMom, please, I\u2019m begging you, stop screaming. Uncle isn\u2019t coming back, no matter how much you scream.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the nurse said to my daughter, \u201cLet your mother scream.\u201d If she needs to scream\u2014even for hours\u2014let her scream. I screamed so violently that it caused a problem with my diaphragm, and a few months later I had a lung problem because of those loud screams. I even had to have surgery because of this, but thank God I\u2019ve recovered now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Nassera: For me, that day started very early, at 7:30, because I woke up at that time, and I remember seeing my son (Adel) that morning\u2014perhaps God granted me the chance to see him one last time\u2014and I asked him why he was awake so early. And he said, \u201cWell, I just woke up.\u201d I told him to go back to bed. Then I went back to my room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember turning on the TV and there was nothing interesting on, so I went back to sleep. A little while later, I remember the phone ringing; it was the police chief, asking me if my son Adel was home. I\u2019d seen him just a few moments, just a few seconds earlier. So I assumed he was still there, because I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d been asleep that long, and I said, \u201cYes, yes, he\u2019s here. Downstairs at home.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the police chief said to me, \u201cGo check if he\u2019s there.\u201d And I saw that my son Adel had gone out, so I said, \u201cWell, yes, he has indeed gone out. I don\u2019t know\u2014I don\u2019t know where he went.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 I asked the police chief why he had called me, and he said, \u201cBecause there\u2019s been an attack at the church in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray.\u00ab And I was surprised because I hadn\u2019t expected to hear about an attack at that church. So I asked him, \u201dBut why are you calling me?\u201c \u00bbWhy do you think Adel is involved in this attack?\u201c And he said, \u201dI don\u2019t have any more information, but I\u2019ll keep you informed.\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started to worry, turned on the TV, began watching the news, and saw that they were indeed reporting on a terrorist attack, but they weren't giving many details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember asking my daughter to go over to the church to see what was going on\u2014maybe she'd run into her brother there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few minutes later, she called me and said, \u201cMom, look, there are so many people here, the police are here, I can\u2019t see anything\u2014everything\u2019s blocked off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She went home, and in the meantime, I called the police chief again and asked him if there was any\u2014if he had any more news\u2014and he told me, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t have any more information at this time.\u201d He had to be back home before 12:30 because he was under certain restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 But that\u2019s not happening; my son isn\u2019t coming back. Around 11:30, a reporter comes to our house and rings the doorbell. \u201cI heard the name Kermiche outside the church.\u201d That\u2019s when we really started to worry. Meanwhile, my daughter Sabrina, my daughter Anisa, and my son Sofian are by my side, but he\u2019s still missing. It\u2019s 12:30 p.m. Adel still hasn\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We turned on the TV, and they were talking about people who had died and people who had been injured, but we didn't know exactly what had happened inside the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I called the police chief again. He probably already knew what had happened but simply didn\u2019t have the courage to tell me over the phone, and he said, \u201cGather at home.\u201d Meanwhile, the special units arrived\u2014many police officers from various different police departments\u2014and began searching the house. At that moment, we realized that Adel was involved, but we never would have thought he had died.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We didn't expect my son to have died. A long period of suffering began\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 The questioning lasted 4 hours, and after 4 hours they asked us to follow the police to the police station. Once there, I said, \u201cWell, it seems my son is involved in the attack in Saint-\u00c9tienne-du-Rouvray, but I don\u2019t know much else.\u201d And they said, \u201cYes, he\u2019s involved, and he\u2019s passed away.\u201d And that\u2019s how I found out about my son\u2019s death. At that moment, I knew for certain that he was gone, that he had died. That news hit us as if the sky had come crashing down on our heads. We weren\u2019t expecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so began a long period of suffering for both of them, filled with many agonizing, unanswered questions\u2014and social isolation as well, because, of course, people began to look at the family in a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -<\/strong> Roseline: Right away, I had this idea, this desire. When we returned home, my children and grandchildren, who had been there with us, went back to their own homes and began to come to terms with this pain\u2014the pain of that hellish day. Once I was home, I began to wonder how I would be able to survive all of this, how I would be able to find new meaning in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 I then began to talk and converse with God. For months I continued to talk with the Lord, trying to find an answer. I lacked patience. I was very restless because I couldn\u2019t find an answer\u2014an answer in Him\u2014so I sought an answer in the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was looking for a word, a parable\u2014something that could be with me, that would answer my questions, that would comfort me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 And finally, after a few weeks, I came across a line from a similar story\u2014the story of a man who was carrying a heavy burden, a great pain, and who had a friend (\u2026), And this man who was suffering, carrying such a heavy burden, said to his friend, \u201cBut you\u2014where were you while I was suffering so much?\u201d And he asked, \u201cWell, I was right beside you,\u201d his friend replied. And he said, \u201cWhy are you lying?\u201d And the friend said, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not lying. Your suffering\u2014this great burden you\u2019re carrying\u2014was so heavy that I was carrying you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd here I found an answer to my question. Later, during Sunday Mass near my home, I heard the same parable in the homily\u2014a homily that addressed this very topic. And so I said to myself, \u201cWell, God is answering me.\u201d\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 So I allowed myself to say to Him, \u201cShow me the way forward, a path in life that makes sense.\u201d And so I carried on like that for a year. I spent a year reflecting, and after a year I was desperate, on the verge of letting myself die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet I pulled myself together and said: \u201cFor the sake of my children, who suffered with me that day, I have to find the strength to keep going.\u201d So I went to pray before the Piet\u00e0 in my church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And right away I thought of the Virgin Mary\u2014she who had endured the suffering of her own son without being able to intervene, just as I\u2014as we\u2014could not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I said and asked her, \u201cVirgin Mary, give me the strength to keep going, to walk, to follow in my brother\u2019s footsteps, just as you followed in the footsteps of your Son, seeking justice, truth, and peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 One morning I was very tired; I didn\u2019t know what to do anymore. I was sitting there with my cup of coffee, saying, \u201dBut God, who could be suffering more than I am? Who could be suffering more than I am?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And over the next few mornings, I woke up with an obsession on my mind. I kept thinking about this woman I didn\u2019t know\u2014this mother, this mom with children\u2014and I said to myself, \u201cMy God, if I were this mother with a son who had committed such a horrible act, how much pain would I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 And then I imagined the suffering of this woman, this mother I didn\u2019t know, and the guilt she might be feeling. And it was only natural, given the looks of contempt people can give you, right? You can even lose your job, the trust of your coworkers, your friends\u2014everyone. And I said, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t leave her alone because she\u2019s suffering more than I am. I have to find a way; I have to figure out how and find out where she lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -<\/strong> So I spoke with the bishop (of Rouen) to find out if it was a crazy idea. And he told me, \u201cNo, follow this path, and when you\u2019ve found her, let me know because I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so I started looking for her; I began trying to get in touch with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a few months, we started talking on the phone. Every 15 days, with a bit of shyness at first, but as the weeks went by, our conversations became more and more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Roseline continued: \u201cAnd finally I asked her, \u2018Ma\u2019am, on the day I come to see you in Saint-\u00c9tienne, would you be willing to meet with me?\u2019 And she said, \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u2019 She\u2019d been waiting for me for a long time.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013Nassera speaks up: A lot more happened after that. I went back to work, even if it was just like a robot. \u201cI have to hold on, I have to hold on for my children, my other children, my family. I can\u2019t break down, because if I break down, the whole family breaks down with me.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, one day (Roseline) suggested I come to Saint-\u00c9tienne, and I told her, \u201cYes, I\u2019ve been waiting for you for a long time.\u201d,<\/strong> That's where we met, and that's where we got to know each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the Rimini Meeting, Roseline Hamel recalled that eight years earlier she had left a letter\u2014a letter of forgiveness\u2014at the grave of Nassera\u2019s son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among other things, it says: \u201cAdel, the soul of my brother Jacques is leading me to you. This is a testament to his forgiveness. The faith of believers is hope, and forgiveness is the path to peace.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had hidden it away a little so it would be for him (Adel),\u201d said Roseline, \"and she (Nassera) told me, 'It would have been a shame for it to rot away there in the grave, because you wrote such beautiful words for my son that I took the message home so I could keep rereading it.'\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"It had been eight years since I wrote that letter,\" Roseline continues. \"And how is it possible that, despite the pain I was feeling, I found the strength to write those words?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"It can't be any other way,\" said the sister of the Father Hamel<\/a>. It was my brother who gave me these words; he was the one who inspired them. They are part of the first fruit of his martyrdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Archdiocese of Rouen, the process for the beatification of Fr. Jacques Hamel has been opened. The diocese invites the faithful to share their testimonies voluntarily. They may write<\/a> The Cause for the Canonization of Father Jacques Hamel, Archdiocese of Rouen, 2 rue des Bonnetiers, 76000 Rouen \u2013 beatificationperehamel@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRoseline, what happened that day? How did you experience it? And above all, how did it affect you?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It's the morning of July 26, and the phone rings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was impossible for anyone to harm a priest celebrating Mass in a church.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An employee at a funeral home told me that my brother, Father Jacques, had died<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An indescribable pain\u2014for you, too. How did you, Nassera, experience that day?<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The attack <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
My son hasn't come home, and a reporter is coming to our house<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At the police station, the news<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Roseline, how did the initiative to find Nassera come about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI began to talk and converse with God\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGod is answering me. In your suffering, I carried you on my shoulders.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShow me the way forward. And I prayed to the Virgin Mary.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut God, who could suffer more than I do?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI imagined the suffering of the mother of the son who committed such a horrible act. I can\u2019t leave her alone.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The bishop: Follow that path, and I will walk with you.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa'am,<\/strong> \u00bf<\/strong>\u201dWould she agree to meet with me? And she said, 'I've been waiting for you for a long time.'\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Letter from Roseline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n