Despite initial concerns for the bishop’s life, his recovery was surprisingly swift. He resumed his duties last Sunday and received a standing ovation from his parishioners.
Newsroom (03/05/2024 19:00, Gaudium Press) Assyrian Orthodox Bishop Mar Mari ‘Emmanuel, who was stabbed on Monday, April 15, while officiating at a church service southwest of Sydney, Australia, resumed his duties last Sunday and received a standing ovation from his parishioners.
After miraculously surviving a recent stabbing attack by an Islamist at a Sydney church, Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari ‘Emmanuel receives a standing ovation from the congregation as he resumes preaching. pic.twitter.com/M5s8LsAcMH
– Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) April 28, 2024
On the 15th, the bishop was attacked with a knife by a 16-year-old of Muslim faith.
Some people attending the church service reacted to the attack, which was being broadcast via streaming, and a minister was also injured.
The teenager’s father, in later statements, mentioned that he hadn’t noticed any signs of radicalization in his son, “just the fact that he was becoming more disobedient”.
Despite initial concerns for the bishop’s life, his recovery was surprisingly rapid. A few days after the attack, he made statements that were posted on social media, advising his community not to seek revenge, thanking “Jesus our Lord” for his speedy recovery and declaring that he forgave the attacker: “Whoever did this act, I tell you that you are my son and I love you and will always pray for you; whoever told you to do it, I also forgive you.”
After the facts came to light, the Australian police classified the incident as “a terrorist act” with religious extremist motivation.
Details of His Appearance
In his first public appearance after the attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel gave a trilingual sermon in English, Arabic and Assyrian during a Palm Sunday service for his Assyrian-Orthodox community. Wearing an eye patch, he shared that he had lost the sight in his right eye as a result of the attack.
In his sermon, the bishop said he considered his wounds a sacrifice, urged forgiveness for the attacker and offered prayers for him, and alluded to a controversy between the Australian government and the social network “x” over the posting of the video of the attack on social media:
“I still can’t understand how we can say that freedom of expression is dangerous, that freedom of expression is not possible in a democratic country. We should be able, as civilized human beings, as intellectuals, to criticize, to speak out, even if perhaps at certain times we may sound or appear offensive to a certain extent, but we should be able to say that I’m not worried about my life being exposed to threats or about it being taken away from me.”
However, several sources speak of unusual tension in the communities that inhabit the area, where police raids have been carried out in recent days. On the day of the attack, a group of people gathered outside the place of worship demanding that the attacker be handed over to them, which prompted the intervention of a special police detachment.
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Compiled by Florence MacDonald
