A BISHOP who was attacked during a live-streamed Mass in a church in Sydney has finally broken his silence.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has taken to social media with a video statement to tell his followers he has “forgiven” his attacker.
ReutersBishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was attacked by a teenager during a Mass[/caption]
EnterpriseBishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has now told his followers he is doing “fine”[/caption]
XThe teenage ‘terrorist’ was seen smirking as he was restrained by churchgoers[/caption]
The suspect was seen with a heavily bandaged hand following the attackX
Bishop Emmanuel has spoken from his hospital bed in Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, where he has been recovering in the days since the attack.
In his video statement, the Bishop said: “I thank the Lord Jesus for what took place over the last couple of days.
“I am doing fine. I am recovering very quickly, we thank the Lord Jesus, so there is no need to be worried or concerned.”
Bishop Emmanuel added: “I have forgiven whoever has done this act, and I say to him, you are my son, I love you, and I will always pray for you.
“And whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them as well in Jesus’ mighty name.
“I have nothing in my heart but love for everyone.”
Bishop Emmanuel also urged his followers to remain peaceful, and to stop the violence that had ensued over the last few days.
He said: “The Lord Jesus never told us to fight. The Lord Jesus never told us to retaliate.
“The Lord Jesus never said to us an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Lord Jesus said never return evil with evil, but return evil with good.”
“I want you to always be calm. We need to always be law-abiding citizens. Above all, we are Christians, and we need to act like it.”
At least four people were stabbed just after 7pm on Monday night at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church.
Bishop Emmanuel was reportedly stabbed multiple times by a hooded teenager and was quickly rushed to hospital.
Police swooped in to arrest the sixteen-year-old boy and held him at the church after an angry mob congregated outside the church and demanded revenge.
Within hours the cops labelled the incident a “terrorist act motivated by suspected religious extremism”.
Members of the teen’s family have now gone into hiding after a violent riot shook Sydney – with thousands attacking riot police, throwing projectiles, and chanting “cut off his fingers”.
Although the Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir claimed on Wednesday that the suspected teen’s father had seen no signs of radicalism in his son.
Mr Kheir told Reuters: “He said other than him being rebellious to him… there were no signs. There were absolutely no signs to him.”
The Lakemba mosque in southwest Sydney is reported to have received firebomb threats during the riots on Monday night.
Two security guards have had to be employed to protect the mosque, which is one of the largest in Australia.
About 40 per cent of Australia’s 42,000-strong Assyrian population are said to live in the area around the Wakeley church.
Maria, whose family migrated from Iraq in 1993, told Reuters: “It’s very devastating, the Assyrian community have come from Iraq because they had been persecuted for being Christian.
“(Monday’s) attack on our faith is just an old reminder of what happened back home.”
The knife attack was the second to hit Sydney in just a few days, after killer Joel Cauchi, 40, unleashed horror at a mall near Bondi Beach on Saturday and killed six people including five women and one man.
Police said it was “obvious” that the ruthless killer had targeted women.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning”.
His dad, Andrew, told reporters when asked about why his son my have targeted women: “He wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain.”
GettyNSW Forensic police seen at Christ The Good Shepherd Church on Tuesday[/caption]
GettyCops have been investigating the crime scene since the brutal attack[/caption]
ReutersFlowers are laid outside the church in support of Bishop Emmanuel[/caption]