Priest stabbed while conducting mass in St Joseph's Church; 37-year-old attacker arrested

SINGAPORE – A priest was stabbed while he was conducting evening mass at St Joseph’s Church on Nov 9.

The suspect, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, has been arrested. He is believed to have acted alone, and the police said they do not suspect that this was an act of terrorism, for now.

The 57-year-old priest, Rev Christopher Lee, was attended to by paramedics, and was conscious when taken to the National University Hospital.

In a Facebook post on Nov 9, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the attacker was a Singaporean Sinhalese man, who had earlier declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he is a Christian.

“Police have arrested the attacker and investigations are ongoing,” said Mr Shanmugam. He added that the priest is in stable condition. 

In a statement at about 9.30pm, the police said the man - who has past offences involving serious hurt and drugs - was disarmed by members of the congregation and then arrested by police officers.

They also urged the public to stay calm and not speculate, as investigations are ongoing.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said it was saddened to hear of the attack.

It said: “Members of the congregation who were present, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team, helped subdue the assailant.

“We ask that the faithful remain calm and avoid speculation on social media while the police carry out their investigations. The Church does not condone violence of any kind.”

It also asked for prayers for the speedy recovery of Father Lee, for the assailant, as well as all those present at the mass, especially children.

When The Straits Times arrived at the church in Upper Bukit Timah Road at about 7.45pm, five police cars were seen in the church compound, and about 10 police officers were inside the church.

In a Facebook post, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong said he was shocked by the incident.

He said: “Such violence, of any form and for any reason, has absolutely no place in Singapore, let alone at a place of worship. The relevant authorities will investigate this incident and address it appropriately.”

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Archbishop William Goh, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Singapore, said in a Facebook post that he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the attack.

He added that he was “very concerned about the psychological impact this incident may have had on our children and all who witnessed this attack”.

He called for people to remain calm and not speculate on the incident or pass judgement without knowing all the facts.

“We must allow the authorities to investigate the matter,” he said.

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The Sikh Advisory Board said it was “saddened and shocked” to hear of the attack. “We stand together with our brothers and sisters of the Catholic faith during this trying time,” it said.

Speaking to The Straits Times, a parishioner who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, said she was attending the 5.30pm mass, and the priest was stabbed some time between 6.15pm and 6.20pm, while Holy Communion was being given out.

She added that she was seated in the last few rows of the church, so she could not see clearly what was happening, but pieced together what had happened after asking others around her.

She said the attacker was seated among the parishioners during the service.

As he approached the priest to receive communion, he appeared to take out what looked like a small knife, and stabbed the priest, who then fell backwards.

Parishioners then rushed to help the priest.

They were also asked not to leave until the ambulance left, so as not to block its route.

After the service ended, they stayed on to pray for the priest’s speedy recovery.

The police spoke to parishioners seated in the same row as the attacker, who had reportedly left his bag behind.

Ms Lee said: “I was very shocked... I was shaking and was very scared.”

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.