A last farewell in the privacy, but under the watchful eye of the cameras, for the murdered priest in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre.
"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 of Luçon in a press release released on Wednesday.
An event for this very religious community, deeply marked by the violent death of the man of faith.
A funeral broadcast on a giant screen and on KTO TV
The town hall of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, which has nearly 3,600 inhabitants, is already 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 morning.
“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, ”the sovereign pontiff again declared.
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 from Sunday to Monday in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, the parquet of La Roche-sur-Yon said on Tuesday.
Emmanuel Abayisenga, who denounced himself, suffers from psychiatric disorders
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.
Arrived in France in 2012, he is also the alleged arsonist of Nantes cathedral in July 2020. He was hosted by the Montfortian fathers, as part of his judicial control, awaiting trial.
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His psychiatric examination, which took place on Monday, concluded that his mental state was incompatible with a custody measure, including in a hospital environment.
He has since been hospitalized in a psychiatric environment, said the prosecution.