A Catholic priest has been killed in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, a commune in the Vendée by a man who had reportedly been placed under police supervision having set fire to a cathedral in Nantes in 2020.
On Monday, a catholic clergyman was found dead in the town of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre. Sources told the French news outlet that the suspect had already turned himself into the police.
In a tweet, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the horrific incident and announced that he would travel to the scene of the crime. “All my support for the Catholics of our country after the dramatic assassination of a priest in Vendée.”
The victim has been identified as Father Olivier Maire, by Bruno Retailleau, senator of the Vendée, who described the clergyman’s death as “a great loss” in a tweet.
Retailleau state that Maire was hosting the victim at the time. “His death testifies to the kindness of this priest whom I knew well and whose depth of faith I had been able to appreciate,” he added.
Sources told BFM TV that the suspect had already served prison time for his role in a fire at Nantes Cathedral in 2020 and was under police supervision.
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