A 77-year-old Catholic priest was stabbed during morning Mass on March 22 at St Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Canada’s biggest church. Footage from the 8:30 am (6 pm India time) Mass, broadcast on a Catholic television network, showed a man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a white baseball cap walking toward the altar. The man knocked over a candle as he rushed toward Father Claude Grou, striking him at least twice with an object in his right hand.
Father Grou, the rector at St. Joseph’s Oratory, moved away, falling as the man attacked him and knocking over a banner at the right of the altar. Several other people rushed to the altar, blocking the man from getting close to the priest. The priest then stood up and was helped by people in the church. As reported by mattersindia.com, “There was a man, a young man, who stood up and, quickly, went to the front, into the sanctuary, behind the altar where Abbé Claude Grou was standing. No one was sure what exactly was happening and I saw the priest move a bit, farther away from this person,” said Philip Barrett, who witnessed the scene.
Police spokesperson Caroline Chevrefils said the 26-year-old suspect is known to police. He was being questioned by police. Oratory spokesperson Céline Barbeau confirmed Father Grou, 77, had been taken to the hospital. The Oratory is the largest church in Canada.
Source: www.mattersindia.com
