Cardinal breaks fast with Muslims on day of atrocities

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon joined local Muslims as they broke their Ramadan fast to express his solidarity with France’s Islamic community, on the day that a Muslim radical beheaded his boss and tried to destroy a chemical factory in a nearby town, writes Tom Heneghan.

The archbishop posted a picture of himself hugging Grand Mosque rector Kamel Kabtane at an Iftar dinner at the mosque held “in a serious and fraternal atmosphere” on Friday 26 June. He also tweeted: “Maintain and intensify the dialogue with all artisans of peace, denounce more firmly all sources of violence”.

Those present observed a minute’s silence for the “victims of this red Friday”, a day that started with the French learning about the beheading in the town of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier of Hervé Cornara, 54, whose severed head was tied to the gates of his factory near two flags on which was written the Muslim profession of faith. An employee, Yassin Salhi, was under arrest in connection with the murder. On the same day 38 tourists including at least 30 Britons were murdered by an Islamist in the Tunisian beach resort of Sousse, and 27 killed in an attack on a Shia mosque in Kuwait. Far more British holidaymakers died in Sousse than French, but the attack was widely reported in France because Tunisia, a former French protectorate where many speak French as well as Arabic, is a popular destination for French tourists.