Minister: French priest killed by cathedral-fire suspect

A priest was killed Monday in a small town in western France and a suspect is in custody

PARIS -- A priest was killed Monday in a small town in western France allegedly by a Rwandan man he had housed who was already under investigation for setting a fire to the Cathedral of Nantes a year ago, France's interior minister said. Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin spoke after meeting with officials and religious leaders in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre in the Vendee region. He confirmed press reports that the suspect in the killing was a Rwandan man who allegedly set fire in July 2020 to the gothic cathedral where he worked as a volunteer. He had been refused political asylum in France after living in the country since 2012. After the killing, the suspect “testified (to gendarmes) that he killed the priest.” Darmanin said. Catholic officials identified the slain priest as Olivier Maire, 61, head of the Community of Montfort, missionary order active in western France and numerous countries. The regional bishop, Francois Jacolin, called Maire a “man of the heart.”