On Monday, a shocking attack unfolded at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley, where a 16-year-old suspect allegedly stabbed bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and a priest during a live-streamed service.
According to authorities, the attack is believed to have been premeditated, with the suspect allegedly entering the Sydney church armed with a knife. The bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, was targeted while presiding over the service. See video below.
Several parishioners bravely intervened, but the bishop and a second priest, Father Isaac Royel, were both injured in the assault.
“They are lucky to be alive,” said New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb, whose officers rushed to the scene and apprehended the suspect.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism.”
The attack has sent shockwaves through the local community, with the bishop described as a well-known and beloved figure. Eyewitness accounts paint a haunting picture, with reports that even as he bled, Bishop Emmanuel reached out to his assailant, uttering a prayer for the Lord to save him.
The aftermath of the incident was equally harrowing, as angry members of the community converged on the Sydney church, starting a riot. Police were forced to retreat into the building, with paramedics and officers unable to leave for several hours as the crowds hurled objects and assaulted law enforcement.
“This was a rapidly evolving situation where the crowds went from 50 to hundreds of people in a very rapid period of time. Our paramedics became directly under threat,” said NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan.
The church has condemned the attack in a statement, categorizing it as an isolated incident and urging against any form of retaliation.