Bogotá priest shields fleeing teen from knife attackers during Mass in Santo Tomás parish; minors apprehended amid outrage over youth violence.
Newsroom (12/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a dramatic act of pastoral courage echoing the protective mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd, Father Hernando Moreno of Santo Tomás parish in Bogotá‘s Timiza neighborhood intervened during Holy Mass on Sunday, positioning himself as a human shield to protect a terrified young man from five knife-wielding minors intent on robbery and assault.
The incident unfolded in the Kennedy locality, southwest of the Colombian capital, when the victim—a minor himself—burst into the church amid a Eucharistic celebration, desperately seeking sanctuary from his pursuers. The five aggressors, also underage, stormed the sacred space brandishing knives, chasing the boy behind the altar in a brazen display of violence that shattered the solemnity of the liturgy.
“They didn’t listen to reason at any point,” Father Moreno recounted to City TV, his voice steady yet laced with sorrow. “I don’t know why this boy went into the church, probably looking for refuge because they were chasing him with knives.” Undeterred by the peril, the priest halted the Mass and placed his body between the attackers and the cowering youth, mediating in a tense standoff that left parishioners gripped by panic.
Father Moreno expressed profound gratitude to divine providence and the media for amplifying the story. “Thank God no one was seriously hurt inside the church,” he said, while condemning the recklessness of contemporary youth who “risk their lives for a hat”—a poignant lament over the trivial motives fueling such brutality.
Authorities swiftly responded to the alert. Officer Gerly Mesa of the Bogotá police garrison detailed the rapid intervention: the victim had sought refuge in the church when the minors violently intruded. A patrol unit arrived promptly, investigated the scene, and apprehended the young assailants in the act.
The episode remains under active investigation, stirring outrage among Timiza residents who decry the area’s persistent insecurity and the profound disrespect shown to the house of God. This sacred invasion underscores a broader crisis of youth delinquency in Bogotá, challenging the faithful to renew prayers for peace, conversion, and the safeguarding of human dignity—even in the shadow of the altar.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form https://www.vidanuevadigital.com/
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