Aramean Church hierarch stabbed during a service in Sydney

A priest in Sydney received knife wounds during a service Photo: screenshot from video

In Sydney, during a sermon broadcast on social media, a man with a knife attacked a priest in the church during Mass, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Video footage shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of the Assyrian Orthodox Church speaking at the altar, as a man wearing a black jumper walks towards him and pulls out a knife. The clergyman fell, while the assailant continued to stab him until he was pulled away by worshippers. The bishop sustained several stab wounds and was hospitalized. Additionally, at least two other people were injured.

"The stabbed bishop is the leader of an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox faith who took on an outsized role in the Christian Lives Matter movement," writes the publication.

Media reports suggest that the bishop was known for his outspoken views against the LGBTQ community and was an active COVID dissident.

The attack triggered an angry response from hundreds of community members who quickly gathered outside the church. Many believed the attacker was still inside and did not want to let him leave for medical treatment. According to unconfirmed reports, the crowd attempted vigilante justice and severed the attacker's fingers.

Earlier in the U.S., a Greek Catholic priest was attacked while in the sacristy of the altar of a Uniate church in Merrillville, northwest Indiana.

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