Priest stabbed during mass at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah, assailant arrested

SINGAPORE: A priest at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah was stabbed by a knife-wielding man during mass on Saturday evening (Nov 9).
The attacker, a 37-year-old Singaporean, was disarmed by members of the congregation and later arrested by police officers, the Singapore Police Force said in a statement.
“He has past antecedents for serious hurt and misuse of drugs offences,” the police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted alone and the police do not suspect that this is an act of terrorism, for now.
“The public is urged to remain calm and refrain from speculation as investigations are ongoing to ascertain the motive behind this incident.”
The attacker is a Sinhalese who had previously declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that he is Christian, according to Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.
The Catholic Church in Singapore said the victim was Father Christopher Lee. The 57-year-old is the parish priest of St Joseph’s Church, which is located between Cashew and Hillview MRT stations.
He is currently warded at National University Hospital. The police said he is in a stable condition.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force were called to the church at about 6.30pm.
The attack happened during communion at the parish’s monthly children’s mass, during which children perform duties that are usually undertaken by adults. Children also occupy the front rows at these events, but they are open to all to attend.
Members of the congregation, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team, helped subdue the assailant, according to the statement by the Catholic Church.
The Archdiocesan Emergency Response team is made up of volunteers who serve as first responders in emergencies. “Please ensure that your teams continue to be deployed at all masses,” read an internal note seen by CNA.
Catholic parishes in Singapore each have their own emergency response teams, which have members in attendance at weekend masses. They are centrally trained by the Catholic archdiocese, which has its own team that is deployed to major events, especially those attended by Singapore’s Archbishop, Cardinal William Goh.
When CNA arrived at the church at about 7.50pm, at least eight police vehicles and 20 officers were seen on the church premises.
Expressing shock and sadness, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he hoped parishioners would heal from this “traumatic event”.
“Violence has no place in Singapore. Most of all, we must uphold the safety and sanctity of our places of worship – places where people seek peace, solace, and community,” Mr Wong wrote in a Facebook post.
“Let us stay calm and united, supporting each other in the spirit of harmony and resilience that defines us as Singaporeans.”
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong condemned the attack. 
“Very shocked to learn that a priest was stabbed at St Joseph’s Church about an hour ago during mass at the church. I understand that the subject has been disarmed and apprehended. The paramedics are attending to the priest. He is being conveyed to the hospital, and he is conscious. Praying that he is ok,” said Mr Tong in a Facebook post at 8pm.
“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.”
Cardinal Goh, the head of the Catholic Church in Singapore, said he was “shocked and deeply saddened that violence has been committed against one of our beloved priests in the house of God while he was celebrating Mass”.
“I am also very concerned about the psychological impact this incident may have had on our children and all who witnessed this attack,” he said on his social media accounts.
“I ask the faithful to remain calm, not to speculate on the incident or pass judgment without knowing all the facts.  We must allow the authorities to investigate the matter.”
One person who attended the mass said he was near the back of the hall when the incident happened.
The man, who declined to be named, said an announcement was made asking parishioners to sit down and remain calm, and informing them that an ambulance had been called.
Parishioners were told not to drive out so that they would not block the way of the ambulance, he said.
They were also asked to pray for Father Christopher, he added.
He was still unsure of what had happened until he saw many police officers arriving and heard the term “assailant” being used.
Later, he spoke to some parishioners who were seated nearer the front. They said there was some commotion, and that the priest stepped back but was stabbed near his mouth.
The parishioner who spoke to CNA said he stayed in the church to pray, but was asked by police officers to leave the area outside the service hall.
Several religion-based organisations issued statements in the wake of the attack.
AMP Singapore, a non-profit organisation serving the Muslim community, wished Father Christopher a swift recovery and said violence of any kind is “unacceptable and should not be tolerated”.
In a letter addressed to Cardinal Goh, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said it stands together with Catholics and all faith communities in Singapore in protecting the sanctity of all places of worship.
“There can be no place for any form of violence, especially not in the name of any religion and in religious spaces.”
The Sikh Advisory Board expressed a similar sentiment, noting that places of worship are sacred spaces. It also urged people to remain calm and not speculate about the incident.
LoveSingapore, a Christian movement, also condemned the attack: “We stand with our brothers and sisters in the Catholic church denouncing violence in any place of worship.”
Calling the attack “senseless”, “unprovoked” and “appallingly heinous”, the Singapore Buddhist Federation said it would join those from all faiths to pray for the quick recovery of Father Christopher.
The Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), which aims to promote harmony between the different faiths, urged the public to show support for the Catholic community.
“These are times to demonstrate interfaith compassion and social cohesion, as we have always done in Singapore,” said the IRO.
“Let us remain calm and united in love and solidarity.”
In a media release on Sunday, Malay-Muslim charity Perdaus condemned the attack and called for peace in places of worship. 
Additional reporting by Abigail Ng.