The TikTok-famous bishop who was brutally stabbed while giving a sermon in Australia on Thursday urged those rioting in anger at the attack to remain calm — while saying he has already forgiven his teen attacker, even calling the suspected terrorist his “son.”
In his first public message since the attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel spoke from his hospital bed to address those taking to the streets of Sydney following the horrifying caught-on-camera attack that cops have called “a terrorist incident.”
“The Lord Jesus never taught us to fight. The Lord Jesus never taught us to retaliate,” Emmanuel said in a recorded message released by the Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church early Thursday.
“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 to return evil with good.’”
“So my beloveds, I want you to always be calm,” the bishop urged his followers, saying they also “need to be law-abiding citizens.”
“Above all, we are Christians and we need to act like it.”
Emmanuel then went on to address the 15-year-old suspected terrorist, telling the teenager he’s already forgiven him.
“I say to him, ‘You’re my son. I love you and I will pray for you,” the bishop said.
“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, whether that person is a Christian or not,” he added.
“The Lord Jesus always told us to love one another. Love God, love your neighbor like yourself. Whoever that neighbor is, we need to love them and respect them as we love and respect ourselves.”
He concluded his four-minute message by reminding his worshippers to “reflect” on Christ in their lives.
“The Lord Jesus never said to go out and fight in the street,” the bishop reiterated.
“He never said to retaliate, but pray — which is what I’m asking everyone to do.”
“God bless you all, we will see you soon and go back to our normal duties once again in serving the Lord from the heart,” Emmanuel said, after assuring the public that he is “doing fine” and is “recovering very quickly.”
His colleague at the church, Father Isaac Royel, who was also injured in the attack, was released from the hospital on Wednesday, the Daily Mail Australia reports.
Meanwhile, the suspect also remains in the hospital for injuries he sustained when angry worshippers fought back against him Monday night.
Police confirmed Tuesday that the attack was being investigated as terrorism.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism,” New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said during a press conference.
“After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.”
With Post wires
