As I sit down to write my column news is coming on about a priest who has been killed in an attack by two armed men on his church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France.

The attackers entered the church during Mass, taking the priest, Fr Jacques Hame (pictured), 84 years old, and four other people hostage.

President Francois Hollande said the men had claimed to be from IS.

He said the attackers had committed a "cowardly assassination" and Pope Francis decried the "pain and horror of this absurd violence".

IS has said before it will not rest until its flag is flying over the Vatican.

It appears the attackers had slit the priest's throat with a knife as he said Mass.

A woman, who works at a local beauty parlour, said she had known the priest since her childhood.

“He was someone who was kind, humble and treasured by all the community.”

The selection of a church and a priest by the attackers, whom IS refer to as its "soldiers," is a new low in the grim history of recent attacks on continental Europe.

The French Prime Minister has expressed his horror at the "barbaric attack".

"The whole of France and all Catholics are wounded. We will stand together," he said.

The Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun, who was attending World Youth Day in Poland, said: "I cry out to God with all men of goodwill. I would invite non-believers to join in the cry. The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men."

For the fourth time in 18 months, France has been plunged into mourning following a terror assault.

The shocking attack in Nice had added a new layer to the horror simply because of the nature of the event that was targeted.

Now the murder of a defenceless 84-year-old priest in the North will again inflame public opinion.

Like everyone else in France I stood for a minute’s solemn silence at midday last Tuesday week, a nation united in grief over the Nice massacre.

I was in Lourdes on a parish pilgrimage.

I spoke to the locals asking how they felt ‘We thought that we could relax after the Euro Championship was over. No one expected this,’ I was told.

Others told me of their sadness, anger and fear.

Bastille Day in France is like St. Patrick’s Day here, for they are as patriotic as we are.

Everyone celebrates. I was in Paris for the month of July in 1972 on a French language scholarship and I was in the crowd on the Champ Elysees viewing the long procession when I saw General De Gaulle proudly saluting the people.

I can still remember fireworks and the “bonhomie” of the festival. This day of celebration will have now been turned into one of mourning.

When we think of our own fireworks here in Derry at Halloween we think of families, children standing in awe at the magnificently colourful display in the night sky.

We cheer and applaud, we smile and laugh, we feel as one with all. ‘Life is good we say to ourselves ‘and we cherish what is precious and noble.

A fireworks display on a public holiday always means that more children than usual will be out and about and the high death toll among the very young is sickening.

When Mohamed deliberately aimed his articulated truck at pedestrians on the Boulevard des Anglais he made no distinction between young and old, French or foreign, men or women, even Christian or Muslin. The 84 dead included all of the above.

Our thoughts are now with the bereaved and with injured, especially the Irish citizen among their number. But our sympathies are also with the people of France.

It was be difficult to live there right now, following Charlie Hebdo, the Bataclan, Nice and now this new red line that has been crossed.

It is easy to see how they would be fearful and uncertain, always wondering where will be the hit next, and looking suspiciously at anyone who fits the profile of recent attackers, maybe even a neighbour or workmate.

But this is a nation with a strong Catholic heritage. Just think of the number of French saints.

Let us pray that the people of France will turn to their faith to find strength and hope

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