By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz
SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Singapore police have stepped up patrols at places of worship to provide reassurance to the public following the stabbing of a priest at St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah on Saturday, according to the Home Ministry (MHA).
The ministry in a statement on Sunday said the police are also in contact with St Joseph’s Church to offer support and resources, including professional psychological assistance for the congregants, including children who witnessed the attack.
In the incident, Christopher Lee, 57, a parish priest at St Joseph’s Church, was attacked by a knife-wielding man while celebrating the 5.30 pm mass.
The suspect, a 37-year-old Singaporean man with a history of serious hurt and drug-related offences, was disarmed by two members of the congregation and subsequently arrested by police officers.
MHA said the suspect is believed to have acted alone, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that the attack was religiously motivated or an act of terrorism.
“The suspect will be charged on Monday with voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, and the police will be seeking a court order for him to be remanded for psychiatric evaluation,” MHA added.
The ministry also urged the public to refrain from speculation while investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Singapore, Cardinal William Goh, in his pastoral letter on Sunday, said the Church will revisit the security protocols already in place in its parishes in response to the incident.
Goh said it was timely to reflect on the safety and security of churches, especially since the incident not only grievously injured a religious leader in a place of worship but also instilled fear within the community.
“However, we must also recognise that our churches are public spaces. Going overboard with security measures may discourage the faithful from coming to worship due to the inconvenience they would have to endure,” he said.
Goh also emphasised the importance of being both mentally and operationally prepared as a community to prevent similar incidents and to mitigate the consequences when they occur.
He expressed gratitude that the Church had already anticipated such incidents, citing the formation of the Archdiocesan Emergency Response Operations (AERO) Council in 2016 to coordinate and improve security across parishes, ensuring the safety of all those in places of worship.
He also noted that church members have been trained to be vigilant and are encouraged to report suspicious individuals and regularly collaborates with MHA and the Singapore Police Force on security matters.
Goh urged all churchgoers to remain alert and report anything suspicious to security personnel and asked for understanding when crowd control measures are implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone present.
“Going forward, we must continue to work together to preserve religious and racial harmony, and not allow confused individuals to sow seeds of division and fear among us,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
