Pope Francis expresses horror over ‘barbaric attack’

Pope Francis has expressed “sorrow and horror” over the suspected terror attack in a French church.

He is among world leaders who have paid tribute after Catholic priest Fr Jacques Hamel, 84, was murdered and a member of the congregation seriously injured in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, south of Rouen, Normandy.

The Vatican said: “We are particularly struck because this horrible violence has occurred in a church — a sacred place where we pronounce God’s love — with the barbaric murder of a priest and worshippers affected.”