A ‘beloved’ bishop who was stabbed during a livestreamed church service in Sydney prayed for his alleged attacker moments after he was injured.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on Monday evening – an incident broadcast on the church’s livestream.
His alleged attacker, a 15-year-old boy dressed in all-black, was seen approaching and stabbing the bishop multiple times to the head and upper body at the altar as parishioners screamed and ran to the cleric’s aid.
The bishop and his alleged attacker both underwent surgery on Tuesday morning.
In a stunning twist, Councillor Steve Christou from the Cumberland City Council confirmed Bishop Mar Mari was praying for his alleged attacker.
‘It just shows the remarkable courage of a man and forgiveness he has within him to pray for his alleged attacker,’ he told Channel Seven’s Matt Doran on Tuesday.
After the attack, a furious mob of around 2000 people swarmed near the church with riots breaking out and police struggling to maintain order.
Cr Christou said the majority of people who showed up to the church were in support of the wellbeing of the ‘beloved’ bishop.
‘However the actions of a few are not representative of the Western Sydney community and people,’ he said.
‘I just call for calm, peace, show forgiveness. This is a time for the community to come together and let love, peace and unit triumph over hate.’
It comes as NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb branded the attack on the bishop as a ‘terrorist incident’ that was ‘centred around religion’.
She said the suspect was known to police but was not on any terror watch lists.
‘We will allege there is a degree of premeditation.. this person has travelled to that location… he’s travelled with a knife and subsequently the bishop and the priest have been stabbed,’ Commissioner Webb said on Tuesday.
‘They are lucky to be alive.’
In a stunning twist, Councillor Steve Christou from the Cumberland City Council (right) confirmed Bishop Mar Mari was praying for this alleged attacker
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley – an incident broadcast on the church’s livestream (pictured)
A 15-year-old boy known to police has been arrested over the incident (he is pictured being held down by church-goers before police arrived at the scene)
The commissioner lashed the actions of the angry mob as ‘unacceptable’ and said the safety of paramedics and police had been compromised.
Officers had to barricade themselves inside the church with the alleged attacker for several hours on Monday as the violence continued outside.
‘People used what was available to them in the area, including bricks and concrete pilings, to assault police and throw missiles at police and police equipment and police vehicles,’ Webb said.
‘We’ve had police injured and taken to hospital overnight, and we’ve had many, many police vehicles damaged. Twenty have been damaged, and 10 are unusable.’
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dom Morgan said six paramedics had been forced to take cover in the church for several hours.
‘The paramedics that serve this community and police every single day were holed up in that church for three-and-a-half hours,’ he said.
‘Six of our paramedics could not leave that facility for fear of their own safety.’
NSW Premier Chris Minns is considering sending extra police to Sydney’s west.
It comes as its revealed the alleged attacker reportedly made a series of religious comments to a group of parishioners moments after the bishop was stabbed.
An Arabic translation of his comments says: ‘If he didn’t swear at my Prophet I wouldn’t be here. If he didn’t involve himself in my religion I wouldn’t be here’.
He has been taken to an undisclosed location where he remains under police guard.
Police confirmed the 15-year-old had undergone surgery for serious injuries to his hands after rumours swirled he lost a finger during the alleged attack.
Bishop Mar Mari (pictured) is a respected leader of an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian orthodox who has gained thousands of followers on social media
The streets surrounding the Good Shepherd Church were littered with glass and rubbish
Bishop Mar Mari is a respected leader of an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox Church with thousands of followers on social media.
During the pandemic, he gained notoriety for his derisive comments on coronavirus being ‘just another type of flu’ and his criticism of vaccines and lockdowns.
His preaching’s on LGBTQI+ issues, Russia, America and Satan have been shared on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube where videos have received millions of views.
He was ordained as a priest in 2009 and a bishop in 2011.
Police tape encircled the church on Tuesday morning as police continue their investigation
A wooden fence paling was seen on the road outside the church
Shards of glass and bricks were scattered across the pavement