Man arrested after stabbing of bishop in Sydney church
man has been arrested after reportedly stabbing a bishop and churchgoers in Sydney, Australian police said.
No life-threatening injuries have been reported follwoing the incident.
The attack occurred during a televised service yesterday, police said.
A video posted on social media shows a man dressed in black approaching a cleric identified as the bishop at Christ the Good Shepherd in suburban Wakely and appearing to stab him repeatedly.
Members of the congregation are seen screaming and rushing to the bishop's aid.
The Eastern Orthodox church website identified the bishop as Mar Mari Emmanuel.
NSW Ambulance said paramedics had treated a man in his 50s for multiple cuts and taken him to a hospital, and three others were being treated for one or more cuts at the scene.
“A large police response is under way and the public is urged to avoid the area,” police said.
Following the attack large crowds gathered outside the church, with unverified footage posted online appearing to show some attacking the building and emergency service vehicles.
The church said in a statement that a priest, Father Isaac, was also injured. Both were taken to hospital.
“We ask for your prayers at this time,” the church said.
“We also kindly ask anyone at the church premises to leave in peace”, it added.
According to AFP news agency, the neighbourhood is a hub for Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom have fled persecution and war in Iraq and Syria.
Those hurt are all thought to be men aged between 20 and 70. The motive for the attack is unknown.
Local mayor Frank Carbone was among those calling for calm.
“I understand a lot of members in our community are really distraught but what is important is I believe that the bishop has been taken to hosa pital and should be OK,” he told Sky News Australia.
The premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, described the scenes as “disturbing” on social media and urged the community to remain calm and “stick together”.
Religious leaders expressed shock and condolences as crowds gathered outside the church and the hospital.
Australians are still in shock after a lone assailant stabbed six people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall on Saturday and injured more than a dozen others.
Christ the Good Shepherd had been preparing for Palm Sunday later this month.
The bishop was featured in national news last year.
A video posted in May 2023 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about a campaign targeting the LGBTQ+ community showed the bishop in a sermon saying: “When a man calls himself a woman, he is neither a man nor a woman, you are not a human, then you are an it. Now, since you are an it, I will not address you as a human anymore because it is not my choosing, it is your choosing.”
We kindly ask anyone at the church premises to leave in peace Christian Assyrian Eastern Orthodox Church