Jacques Hamel, 84, slain by Islamists, was ‘a good priest … who did his job to the very end’

Described as modest, dedicated and always available for his parishioners, Father Jacques Hamel, 84, who was murdered in his Normandy church while celebrating morning mass, had been retired for nearly a decade.

He still officiated regularly as auxiliary at the church in St Étienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, and in neighbouring Elbeuf, local media reported, stepping in when the parish’s regular priest, Father Auguste Moanda-Phuati, was busy.

The priest’s throat was slit by two Islamic State supporters armed with knives who took five people – Hamel, two nuns and two worshippers – hostage in the church. The two men were later shot dead by police. Three hostages were freed unharmed but one is in a critical condition.

Born in the same département of Seine-Maritime in 1930 and ordained in 1958, Hamel spent most of his working life in north-west France, including more than 30 years at St-Étienne. He celebrated 50 years in the clergy in 2008.

After officially retiring at 75, he had asked to remain in the parish and continue to help when necessary, the archdiocese of Rouen said. “This man was a good man,” said the president of the regional council, Hervé Morin.