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French Christians attend Melbourne vigil

French-speaking Christians have prayed for the victims of the Paris attacks at St Paul's Anglican Church in Melbourne.

The Sydney Opera House is seen illuminated
A prayer vigil will be held at Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral today to remember Paris victims. (AAP)

French Christians in Melbourne have held an emotional vigil for those slain in the horrific Paris attacks.

Dozens of French expats, nationals and Mauritians gathered at St Paul's Anglican Church in Caulfield North to pray for the 129 dead and a further 352 wounded in Friday night's terror attacks.

Members of the congregation waved French flags as they prayed and sang in French, listening to prominent religious members speak about the horror of Friday night's attacks.

An altar was set with hundreds of lit candles representing those who died.

French lay minister Jonathan Chaintrier, a speaker at the service, said he felt "shocked and appalled" by the killings.

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"I can't really finish my words ... in French I would say I am disgusted, I am feeling sick about what has happened," he told reporters.

"We're thinking of all the people who have suffered psychologically, physically, of all the families who lost a brother and a sister, friends, sons and daughters."

Mr Chaintrier also mentioned the 43 people killed and the 200 wounded in Beirut after two suicide bombers on motorcycles set off several explosions on Thursday.

French expat Olivier Peyrous, 38, described feelings of disbelief when he first heard about the Paris bombings.

"I was in shock - I just could not believe what I was hearing," he said.

"I have fiends living nearby so I tried to contact them, and because I couldn't reach everyone at the beginning, I was a bit worried.

"But afterwards stuff popped up on Facebook and I could figure out which friends were safe, which was good to hear."

Mr Peyrous said he did not think this was the end of the attacks on Paris.

"Since January we knew that something would happen, some other stuff happened in between ... but not this big, this huge," he said.

"Personally I think it will happen again".


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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