The condition of the priest stabbed in Singapore is stable

MUMBAI, India – A priest in Singapore was stabbed by a man armed with a knife during Mass on Saturday night.

Father Christopher Lee, 57, is pastor of St. Joseph’s Church and his health is stable. The 37-year-old attacker was held down by community members and later arrested.

“This incident not only seriously injured a religious leader in a place of worship, but also sowed fear in the community,” said Cardinal William Goh, the archbishop of Singapore.

Pope Francis visited Singapore during his trip to Asia in September.

A spokesman for the communications office of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore said Lee was “very popular among parishioners and known for being kind and compassionate to everyone.”

“He is a committed pastor to his flock and an integral part of the parish. He is also a member of the Archdiocesan Liturgy Commission and a school chaplain at De La Salle School,” the spokesman said core.

Police said the attacker had a previous conviction for “serious bodily harm and drug-related offences”.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed the man acted alone and police do not currently believe this was an act of terrorism. The public is urged to remain calm and refrain from speculation as investigations to determine the motive for this incident are ongoing,” police said.

In a statement following this attack, Goh said: “It is time for us to think about the security of our churches, especially during services.”

“The truth is that we should not be too surprised that this incident occurred in our most sacred space,” the cardinal said.

“A person could attack a religious leader or anyone in a church for a variety of reasons. This person could be a terrorist, a fanatic, someone dissatisfied with the church or a religious leader, or someone who is mentally or emotionally unwell,” he continued.

“While we cannot prevent every incident of this nature, we as a community must be both mentally and operationally prepared to protect ourselves from them and mitigate the consequences when they occur,” he said.

Goh said that going forward, the archdiocese will reconsider the safety protocols already in place in its parishes.

“However, we must also recognize that our churches are public spaces. Excessive security measures could deter believers from coming to church services due to the stresses involved. Overreacting would show a lack of courage and allow evil to triumph by controlling our lives,” the cardinal said.

“Furthermore, too much security can prevent our priests from serving their flock,” he added.

“Religious leaders must recognize that as public figures we carry some risk. While we should not take safety lightly, we must serve our flock courageously and without fear. We firmly believe that God is responsible for our lives and that He will transform evil into good. “We cannot allow evil to paralyze the proclamation of the gospel,” Goh said.

The cardinal noted that terrible things happen “because of sin and its consequences.”

“In fact, such events show us that the moral values ​​of society are declining; There is no sense of right or wrong, not even in a sacred space. This shows us that there are many worried, confused and hurting people in the world. However, we know that evil will not win at the end of the day. We see this in the examples of the martyrs of the Church,” he said.

“As a church, we must proclaim even more the gospel of mercy, compassion and reconciliation so that we can enlighten people to the truth, heal them of their brokenness, ease their fear and pain, and help them find life and true love “Let us not be paralyzed by fear, but continue to witness our faith and place ourselves in the hands of God,” said Goh.