Breaking: Catholic Priest Murdered in France, Says Country’s Interior Minister

A source close to the case told Reuters that a suspect confessed to killing the priest and may be tied to the Nantes cathedral fire set in July 2020.

St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, Nantes, France
St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, Nantes, France (photo: MisterStock / Shutterstock)

VENDÉE, France — France’s interior minister announced on Monday that a Catholic priest has been murdered in western France. 

Gérald Darmanin wrote on his Twitter account on Aug. 9 that he was traveling to the Vendée department of France following the killing.

“All my support to the Catholics of our country after the dramatic murder of a priest in Vendée. I am going to the scene,” he said.

He did not offer any further information about the incident.

France Info reported that the suspect in the murder in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, a commune in the Vendée department, was already under investigation in relation to the fire at Nantes Cathedral in July 2020.

Reuters reported that the suspect had handed himself in to police.

This is a developing story.