Sydney church stabbing: Australian bishop forgives alleged attacker
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, the Australian bishop who was stabbed at a Sydney church on Monday, has said he forgives the attacker.
In an audio message, the bishop said he was “recovering quickly” and urged the community to remain calm.
The attack was caught on the church’s livestream. Four others were injured in what police say was a terrorist attack, motivated by religion.
The attacker, a 16-year-old boy, was also injured in the attack. He has been arrested over the incident but has not yet been charged with any offence. Authorities have repeatedly declined to state the suspected beliefs of the boy.
In Bishop Emmanuel’s four-minute clip, released by the church on social media on Thursday, he says he forgives “whoever has done this act”.
“And I will always pray for you. And whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them as well in Jesus’s mighty name,” he said.
He added that he was “doing fine” and “there is no need to be worried or concerned”.
New South Wales Police have previously said the bishop is “lucky to be alive” after the stabbing, which occurred while he was saying mass at the Assyrian Orthodox Church.
It came just days after a mass stabbing in an Australian shopping mall that killed 6 people. The attacker was shot dead. Police say mental health was most likely the motivation for the attack.
Australia shopping mall attack – video
📹📸 A knife attack took place in a shopping mall in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Sydney, Australia.
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) April 13, 2024
It is reported that there are dead and injured people.
A civilian was seen intervening against an attacker.
📹 @AnnoymousGiraf pic.twitter.com/Hojc8Jj5ec