Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi has issued the following initial statement on the murder of a priest in Rouen, France earlier today (my translation). French President Francois Hollande has said that the two assailants "claimed to be from Daesh", also known as the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

"It is new, terrible news which unfortunately adds to a series of violent attacks that in recent days have already disturbed us, creating immense pain and concern. We are following the situation and we await further information to better understand what happened. The Pope has been informed and participates in the pain and horror of this absurd violence, with the most radical condemnation of all forms of hatred and prayer for those affected. We are particularly affected because this horrific violence took place in a church, a sacred place where the love of God is proclaimed, with the barbaric killing of a priest and the involvement of the faithful. We are close to the Church in France, to the archdiocese of Rouen, to the affected communities, to the French people."

Later today, the Holy Father, through Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, sent a message of condolences to Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen, France, following the dramatic events this morning in the church of nearby Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where two men armed with knives entered and took hostage the priest, two nuns and two faithful. They subsequently killed the priest, Fr. Jacques Hamel, aged 86, by cutting his throat, and seriously wounded another hostage.