Last Updated on April 16, 2024
The blade wielded by the Sydney, Australia church attacker failed to open when the target of the attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, held up a Cross for protection, likely saving his life. Bishop Mar Mari was struck with the closed knife several times, including in the face, before the attacker realized that his blade had malfunctioned.
As National File reported in the wake of the attack:
A knife-wielding attacker stormed the pulpit of Sydney, Australia’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church and appeared to stab Bishop Mar Mari in the face, before unleashing a fury of additional stabs and slashes, leaving multiple other people injured as congregants quickly fought to subdue him.
Because the Monday night service was being live streamed, video footage of the attack became available online immediately and has quickly gone viral…
When the video footage is examined, it’s realized that the attacker’s blade did not open as he lunged toward Bishop Mar Mari, likely saving the Bishop’s life as several bladeless blows made contact with the area of his face and neck. As this aspect of the story has made the rounds online, faithful Christians are praising God and some are saying that Bishop Mar Mari was saved by way of direct intervention, with the Cross he held in his hand serving as a shield of protection.
By the time the attacker realized his blade had failed him, he was being surrounded by parishioners who were rushing to the defense of Bishop Mar Mari, multiple of whom were injured, along with a Priest, in the process.
Full Video: Bishop Stabbed at Pulpit in Anti-Christian Attack
While much of the 15-year-old suspect’s background has not been made clear to the public, law enforcement has confirmed that anti-Christian terrorism was his motivation, and several translations have claimed that as he stormed the pulpit, he shouted in Arabic, “If they didn’t insult my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here,” denoting what many believe to be an Islamic background.