In Vendée, after the assassination of Father Olivier, "everyone is in shock"

REPORTAGE

"I am upset," breathes Evelyne, in a sob.

This 66-year-old parishioner is struggling to recover from the terrible news that struck the town of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, 15 km south of Cholet.

On Monday morning, Father Olivier, aged 61, was assassinated in the very heart of the Maison des Pères Montfortains, in the heart of this city of 3,600 inhabitants presented as the cradle of Vendée Catholicism.

"It is a village where there is a lot of serenity"

Shortly after the tragedy, locals find it hard to believe.

"It is a village where there is a lot of serenity", continues Évelyne.

Same story for Christelle Morancais.

"Everyone here is in shock," says the president of the Pays de la Loire regional council.

Then, she adds: "I want to give all my support to all Catholics and especially to the Catholic community in Vendée".

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For Evelyne, the values ​​of charity and solidarity are "anchored in the community with all these sisters who did good everywhere".

Among these sisters, Dorothée lives in the presbytery.

It was 10:30 a.m. Monday morning when she learned of the tragedy.

"I was in a meeting and a nurse received the call. She told us Father Olivier had been assaulted by the person he had welcomed and that he died of it," she tells the microphone. 'Europe 1.

"This is unacceptable"

Father Olivier, Olivier Maire in civilian life, was a figure of the community: he was the national referent for Montfort missionaries.

"He's a provincial priest. I know he still had his parents. He went on vacation every year. But this year, he hadn't been there yet," explains Dorothée.

Before adding: "he officiated in the basilica. Even yesterday, he celebrated".

A ceremony that Father Olivier had also concluded by evoking the ultimate gift of his life in the service of others.

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But this drama was also followed by the anger of certain elected officials, including Christelle Morancais. The man suspected of having murdered Father Olivier is the same man who set fire to Nantes cathedral at the end of 2020. "This is extremely serious for two reasons. First, what is this man doing in freedom? Then, what is this man doing? made in France a foreigner who was guilty of such an offense? "asks Christelle Morancais. For the president of the Pays de la Loire regional council, "it is unacceptable". "We must put an end to this laxity, with this impunity. I think we are too naive, much too nice," she concludes.