Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen celebrated Mass in the church where Father Jacques was slain by jihadists in 2016. Later that year, Pope Francis waived the typical requirement that sainthood causes begin five years after a person’s death.

“Isn’t murdering a priest in his church a profound attack on the soul of France?” said Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, who attended the 5th anniversary Mass. “And by striking the Catholic Church, the Church of France, the terrorists did not simply strike those who believe in God, they evidently struck all French people.”