Sydney church stabbing: Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel praised as ‘wonderful’ and ‘loved’ by Danny Abdallah – father of the Oatlands tragedy victims – in the wake of shocking scenes during church sermon
Danny Abdallah, the father of the Oatlands crash victims, has spoken out after a popular bishop he has known for years was attacked in a stabbing.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney, just after 7pm on Monday when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him several times.
There are also reports that several others have been taken to hospital as a tense situation unfolds in the nearby streets.
Mr Abdallah, a devout Christian, said he cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt him.
βHe is a respected man in the community. He is especially loved by the entire Assyrian community,β he said.
Bishop Emmanuel is described by his congregation as ‘great’ and ‘beloved’
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Sydney’s west, on Monday evening when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him several times (pictured)
Danny Abdallah says he has known the bishop for years and describes him as ‘respected’
‘He’s a great priest. He lives to serve others and help people.
‘What happened tonight was just devastating.
‘I don’t know why anyone would do that. It makes no sense that he is a very peaceful man.β
Abdallah and his wife Leila’s children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking on a footpath to buy ice cream in Oatlands, in Sydney’s west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.
The driver, Samuel Davidson, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He is serving a twenty-year prison sentence.
Despite the horrific tragedy and the anger he felt, he publicly forgave Davidson and credited his faith with giving him the courage to do so.
Elsewhere, NSW Police have urged the public to avoid the area around the church following the attack, while there are also reports that Liverpool Hospital has been placed on lockdown due to rioting.
Worshipers outside the church in the aftermath of the stabbing as tensions threatened to boil over
The suspect and the injured Bishop were taken to two different hospitals in Sydney’s west, both reportedly with non-life-threatening injuries.
Footage posted on social media shows angry worshipers outside Christ The Good Shepherd Church, with some heard shouting ‘an eye for an eye’ after the attack.
Further commentary on social media claims that the vigilante cut off the attacker’s fingers, although that claim is unsubstantiated.