On Tuesday evening, May 30, a quiet and sad posthumous wedding ceremony was held in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, attended by former French President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Annie Hidalgo. They witnessed the conclusion of a posthumous marriage between the 37-year-old police officer Xavier Jugelé, who died during the Islamists attack on the Champs-Élysées on April 20th, and his partner Etienne Cardiles.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, in the documents, the fixed date of the couple's marriage was April 19th, a day before the police officer's death.
The wedding ceremony took place in the courtyard of the police headquarters, L'Express specifies. Mr. Hollande has Honored the late police officer with Legion of Honor, one of the France’s highest honors.
A quirk in French law allows posthumous marriage.Not possible here but perhaps a nice way of remembering a loved one https://t.co/BLcdDG5Olj
— Fatimah Farag (@FaragFatimah) June 1, 2017
Jugelé was shot in the head two times. According to the media, he was the exemplary law enforcement officer and the active advocate for gay rights.
An employee of the French Foreign Ministry, Etienne Cardiles, who was with the deceased in a civil marriage, was present on April 25 at the inauguration ceremony of Emmanuel Macron.
He told the president about the pain of his partner's death and applied for a post-mortem marriage.
Origin of posthumous marriage in France
Posthumous marriage was legally permitted in France since the First World War. Later, a ban was imposed on it, but since 1959 such marriages have been allowed again. Etienne Cardiles and Xavier Jugelé were in a civil union during the latter's lifetime.
At present, the procedure is rather symbolic, since the establishment of paternity is no longer dependent on the legality of the marriage of the child's parents. Each case is considered by the President of France individually. Crucial is the evidence of the unequivocal intention of the deceased to conclude a marriage and the confirmation of the actual civil marriage.
Hundreds of such marriages are held per year.
Farwell to the deceased
The death of Jugelé as a result of the terrorist attack caused the great resonance in France, and Cardiles' speech at the funeral made an even stronger impression on the French and made the ministers and colleagues of the murdered policeman cry.
Later, at the farewell ceremony, his partner Etienne Cardiles announced that he was grieving, but had no hatred for him.
During the farewell to the policeman, Marin Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, who were the favorites of the pre-election race and irreconcilable rivals at that time, were standing shoulder to shoulder.
