Emmanuel has approximately 200,000 followers online.
Sydney:
A Sydney bishop who was brutally stabbed during a livestreamed sermon said on Thursday he was recovering and had forgiven his attacker, declaring: “You are my son.”
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was slashed in the head and chest by a 16-year-old suspect on Monday, sparking a riot by members of the Assyrian Christian Church in Sydney’s west.
“I’m doing well and recovering quickly,” said the bishop of Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakely.
The area is the center of Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom have fled persecution and war in Iraq and Syria.
Mr Emanuel has around 200,000 followers online and has excited many with his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, lockdowns and even Islam.
“There is no need to worry or be concerned,” the bishop said in a YouTube video published Tuesday, accompanied by a photo of the bishop in vestments and audio.
“I forgive the one who did this act, and I say to him: You are my son, I love you, and I will always pray for you. And do this act. Whoever sent you for this, I will also forgive them.”
The teenage suspect was taken to a Sydney hospital after the attack.
A senior police official said mid-week that his treatment was expected to last several days.
A bishop has called for calm after a stabbing sparked outrage outside a church.
On the night of the attack, hundreds of believers and local residents rushed to the scene.
Some allegedly threw rocks and other projectiles, injuring police and damaging 50 police cars.
“I want you to always remain calm,” the bishop said.
“We always need to be law-abiding citizens. We need to cooperate with police orders, whether it’s at the state or federal level,” he said.
“We must never forget that we are very privileged to be Australians, but above all we are Christians and we need to act as such.”
Police on Wednesday charged a 19-year-old man in connection with the assault outside the church and warned more arrests would be made in the coming days.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
