A graphic video shows an Australian bishop being stabbed multiple times while delivering his sermon.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was speaking at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley when he was confronted by an unidentified man wearing a black hoodie Monday (April 15) night local time. Emmanuel appears to attempt to talk to the man before being stabbed in the face and neck and falling to the ground, at which point congregants rushed to his aid, as seen in the video shared by the Australian Jewish Association on its X account.
The bishop was reportedly rushed to a local hospital and his condition is unknown, according to News.com.au. Three other people were also reported to have suffered lacerations and received treatment at the scene, including a man in his 30s, a man in his 20s and a man in his 60s, the Australian media outlet reported.
The suspect was reported to be in custody and cooperating with officers amid an ongoing investigation, though a motive for the attack has not yet been determined, the New South Wales Police Force confirmed to News.com.au. Bishop Emmanuel gained online notoriety as an outspoken critic of COVID restrictions during the pandemic, comparing them to "mass slavery" and ranting against vaccine mandates during his sermons.
The church incident took place two days after six people were killed and several others, including a nine-month-old baby, were injured during a stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction in the East Suburbs of Sydney on Saturday (April 13), though it hasn't been determined whether the two attacks were linked as of Monday.