In Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (Seine-Maritime),
In the presbytery adjoining the parish hall, nothing has changed since the assassination of Father Jacques Hamel on July 26, 2016. Inside the sober little house where this 85-year-old retired priest lived, the photos of his loved ones still adorn the living room walls. At the entrance, his jacket, cap and scarf were left hanging. “We wanted to keep everything as it was. If his beatification process is successful, the place could be used as a museum, ”says Linda Dupré, auxiliary at the parish of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Nearly six years after the jihadist attack that upset the daily life of this Rouen suburb with a working-class past, the memory of Father Hamel remains deeply rooted in the minds of the inhabitants. “He was very present in civic life and he was known to everyone in this oldest part of the city, around the town hall and the church”, explains Joachim Moyse, mayor (PCF) of the town. Hit by the violence of the attack, the Stéphanais have since tried to honor the memory of the priest to better “heal”. But as the trial approaches, which will open on February 14, some fear that the suffering of the past will resurface.
Heal the wounds and turn the page
Like all the inhabitants of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Father Jacques Simon has not forgotten anything about this day of July 26, 2016. “It was a shock. It was unthinkable”, breathes the one who became the parish priest of the city last September. Officiating in the region for several years, he knows the “wound” that has affected the local religious community. “I have been accompanying the parish for six months and it is true that the arrival of the trial has brought to light a certain number of things […]. We have the impression that it will reopen a wound, but this scar also reminds us of what happened, ”he continues.
Time, however, has “appeased” the “doubt”, “dread” and “anger” felt by the population in the aftermath of the events, believes Joachim Moyse. In his office, the former first deputy, who took over as head of the municipality in 2017, recognizes that “the event was a marker” in the life and history of the town. And to underline: “It is difficult to consider that our city is reduced to such a drama while extremely rich and powerful things happen there on a daily basis”. Aware of being associated since 2016 with a page in the history of terrorism, the inhabitants wish, according to him, to turn the page: “After five years, many refuse to remain frozen or locked in this pain. »
The difficult “path of truth”
Can the trial stage contribute to advancing this story that binds the inhabitants of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray? In any case, this is what the Archbishop of Rouen, Monsignor Dominique Lebrun, civil party to the hearing, hopes. “I think we’ve all been waiting for this moment of finding the truth. Beyond the verdict, I expect this trial to shed all the light on the event of July 26, 2016. On its causes, and perhaps also on ways to live better together,” he added. he said at a press conference held on February 2.
Very close to Father Hamel, the Archbishop knows that this “path of truth” will not be easy for the direct victims of the attack. “It’s complicated all the same to relive these things, to meet the eyes of the people who are accused in this case and who are not the assassins themselves. I both want this trial to take place because it is important, but I am also going a little backwards, ”he admitted. The municipality, for its part, did not wish to become a civil party during the procedure, for the sake of “maintaining local cohesion”, justifies the mayor.
Neither “hate” nor “desire for revenge”
Since the attack, religious leaders and public authorities have struggled to prevent a “fracture” from being created within the population. The historical proximity of the Catholic and Muslim communities to Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray has notably contributed to a form of appeasement. “What marks me since my arrival is the absence of hatred. If there is perhaps inner anger, there is no desire for revenge that is expressed”, assures Father Jacques Simon. Installed on the same ground, the mosque directed by Mohammed Karabila and the parish even envisage “a time of prayer” common to the approach of the lawsuit.
A year after the attack, a meeting came to seal this peace to which the Saint-Etienne residents aspire. Having come into contact through intermediaries, Father Hamel’s sister insisted on talking with the mother of Adel Kermiche, one of the priest’s two assassins. “I remember, it was Easter Monday, said the Archbishop of Rouen during his press conference. I witnessed this meeting between Roseline Hamel and Madame Kermiche who fell into each other’s arms, literally, in great silence. Until one of them said: “I lost my brother, he was old, and you, you lost your son and he was young”. »
In a daily interview The cross in February 2019, Father Hamel’s sister returned to this relationship since maintained with the mother of one of the assassins: “We are two women who help each other to overcome this turmoil that will never end. My own forgiveness goes that far, until the meeting”.