Church stabbing Wakeley, Sydney: Bishop prays for attacker after the boy stabbed him during church service

A bishop who was stabbed during a church service in Sydney prayed for his alleged attacker shortly after being stabbed, Daily Mail Australia understands.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley – an incident that was broadcast on the church’s livestream.

The attacker, a 15-year-old boy, was seen approaching the bishop and stabbing him several times in the head and upper body at the altar as parishioners screamed and ran to the cleric’s aid.

According to police, the attacker was known to the police.

After the attack, an angry crowd of about 2,000 people swarmed the church as riots broke out and police struggled to maintain order.

A 15-year-old boy known to police has been arrested over the incident (he is pictured being held by at least three people before police arrived on the scene)

Police said the boy suffered serious hand injuries, amid rumors his finger was severed during the fight. Officers had to barricade themselves in the church with the boy for hours while the violence continued outside.

“There are reports that he has injuries to his hands – I do not know the extent of those injuries at this time,” NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told the media.

He added: ‘His injuries to his hand are quite serious, he is quite upset and quite distraught.’

He has been taken to an unknown location where he remains under police guard.

During the pandemic, Bishop Mar Mari rose to prominence for his criticism of both lockdowns and vaccines and his belief that Covid was ‘just another kind of flu’.

His pastoral message on the website reads: ‘In our time we believe that the most important and fundamental insight is to obtain the truth.

‘The world bombards humanity with so much information that we often lose our orientation in distinguishing the lie from the truth.’

This is a breaking story. More to come