In Singapore, Spain and Poland Catholic communities in shock after attacks on priests

(OSV News) -- A cardinal in Singapore has called for religious and racial unity after a priest was stabbed in the face during Mass, an incident that has sent shock waves across the city-state. Meanwhile, in Spain, one friar died and seven were wounded in an attack on the monastery in Gilet, in the region of flood-hit Valencia, and a priest in Poland died a week after he was attacked with an ax inside his parish rectory in Szczytno.

"Going forward, we must continue to work together to preserve religious and racial harmony," Cardinal William Goh of Singapore said in a pastoral letter on Nov. 10, following the attack on the priest during Mass.

Cardinal Goh made his remarks after Father Christopher Lee, the parish priest of St. Joseph church in the west-central Singapore region of Bukit Timah, was attacked by Basnayake Keith Spencer with a foldable knife.

Spencer attacked Father Lee while he was distributing holy Communion during Mass Nov. 9, Channel News Asia reported.

Spencer has been charged with the offense of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon and has been remanded by a court in Singapore for three weeks.

The police charge sheet stated that Father Lee had sustained a laceration on his tongue, a cut on his upper lip, and also a cut on the corner of his mouth. He is recovering from his injuries.

Members of the congregation, including the archdiocesan emergency response team, helped subdue Spencer.

Singapore's archdiocesan Emergency Response Operations Council was formed in 2016 to coordinate and improve security in the parishes.

Cardinal Goh pointed out that the stabbing incident has made "our (Catholic) Church stronger, bringing our people closer through faith and prayer."

The incident "has also reminded us to remain vigilant and not to take our hard-won peace and security for granted. As a community, we will come out of this incident more resilient than ever," Cardinal Goh added.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Father Juan Antonio Llorente, a Franciscan friar from the Gilet monastery in Spain's Valencia region -- struck with recent flooding -- died Nov. 11 in a hospital, following the injuries he suffered Nov. 9 when a man entered the monastery and attacked the community.

Brother Ángel Ramón, who works as a cook at the monastery and was also hit by the attacker, confirmed the friar's death to Alfa y Omega, a Spanish Catholic news outlet.

The attacker, a disturbed 46-year-old man who did not know the religious community or the town of Gilet, and who shouted "I am Jesus Christ" during the attack, has already been arrested by the Civil Guard.

The little town of Gilet plunged into shock following the brutal beating of friars, of whom seven were wounded. Salvador Costa, Gilet mayor, told Alfa y Omega that "this has been a very hard blow for our town."

"We are dismayed," he said, because "the Franciscan community has a deep-rooted link with Gilet" and "historically we have collaborated in a very reciprocal way."

A week earlier, on Nov. 3, an elderly priest was attacked in Poland. Father Lech Lachowicz, 72, was attacked with an ax in his Szczytno parish rectory in northeastern Poland. A 27-year-old suspect has been taken into custody. Father Lachowicz died Nov. 9 following extensive brain injuries.

The priest was a longtime parish pastor at St. Brother Albert church, a church he helped build.
The attacks on priests coincided with two Sundays of November during which Catholics across the world prayed for persecuted churches.

In August, the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe pointed out in its 2022/2023 Annual Report a 44% increase in hate crimes against Christians in the European continent, with a total of 749 incidents recorded.