Justórum ánimæ in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos torméntum mortis. Visi sunt óculis insipiéntium mori: illi autem sunt in pace.
Wis 3:1-3
(But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, but they are in peace.)
There has been a brief discussion on social media about whether we should call Fr. Hamel a martyr; whether he died in odium fidei. I don't think there is any room for doubt on that score: what other reason could make two men walk into a small church during the celebration of Mass and cut the throat of the priest (who was in his 80s and hardly likely to be any kind of physical threat to anyone)?
Fr. Jacques Hamel, ora pro nobis.
There are three conditions for Martyrdom, though, not just one. They are: 1. A violent death (whether instantaneous or prolonged) 2. Being killed "in odium fidei" and 3. A voluntary acceptance of death. Even his bishop at Fr Hamel's funeral hesitated to give him the title of Martyr.
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