The funeral of Father Olivier Maire, killed at the age of 60 by a Rwandan who confessed to the homicide, will take place on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the basilica of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (Vendée), announced the diocese of Luçon.
"
The funeral will be celebrated in private in the presence of the family of Father Olivier Maire, members of the Montfortian congregation and officials,
" said the diocese in a press release issued Wednesday, August 11.
Read also: Priest killed in Vendée: the inhabitants between emotion and anger
The town hall of this town of 3600 people is preparing the installation of a giant outdoor screen "
for people who would like to follow the funeral and meditate
". The family agreed to have the funeral broadcast on KTO TV, the same source said. The bishop of Luçon Mgr François Jacolin asked all the parishes of Vendée that the death knell be sounded on Friday at noon.
"
With great pain, I learned of the homicide of Father Mayor,
" Pope Francis said during the general audience on Wednesday August 11th.
“
I offer my condolences to the Montfortian religious community of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, in Vendée.
To his family and to all Catholics in France,
”declared the Sovereign Pontiff.
The still unknown murder weapon
The priest Olivier Maire was the provincial superior of the community of Montfortians. He died as a result of "
violent blows
" to the head, on the night of Sunday to Monday in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Sèvre, the parquet of La Roche-sur-Yon said on Tuesday. The autopsy, carried out Tuesday at the forensic institute in Nantes, showed that "
the victim presented six lesions, all located on the head, caused by violent blows
". But the examination did
not
"
allow to determine the nature of the murder weapon
", according to the press release of the prosecution.
Emmanuel Abayisenga himself went to the gendarmerie on Monday morning and accused himself of the murder of the religious. He arrived in France in 2012, before being the alleged arsonist at Nantes Cathedral in July 2020. He was hosted by the Montfortian fathers, as part of his judicial review, pending trial. His psychiatric examination on Monday concluded that his mental state was incompatible with a custody measure, including in a hospital environment, and the defendant is hospitalized in a psychiatric environment, the prosecution said.
