Reverend Christopher Lee suffered an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth. - ST READER, WILLIAM CARDINAL GOH/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE: The priest attacked while celebrating mass at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah is able to speak just two days after he was stabbed in the mouth on Saturday (Nov 9).
Despite suffering an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth, Reverend Christopher Lee spoke of forgiveness when Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited him at the National University Hospital on Nov 11.
In a Facebook post after the hospital visit, Dr Balakrishnan said Father Lee was alert and spoke clearly.
Describing the priest as an “incredible man of courage and compassion”, the minister added that he was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the priest was recovering from the “horrific attack”.
Said Dr Balakrishnan: “He emphasised the need for us all to look out for one another. And to forgive.”
The alleged attacker – Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37 – was charged on Nov 11 with one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon.
Meanwhile, the church held a special prayer session for Father Lee at 8pm on Nov 10, where Archbishop William Goh’s call for vigilance was repeated.
In a pastoral letter, Cardinal Goh said the Church will revisit the security protocols in parishes, but added that going overboard with security measures may discourage the faithful from going to church, and overreacting “would show a lack of courage, allowing evil to triumph by controlling our lives”.
The church called on the 100 parishioners who attended the service to pray for Father’s Lee recovery and for forgiveness over the incident.
After the attack, police patrols were stepped up at places of worship to provide assurance to the public despite there being no evidence to suggest that it was religiously motivated or an act of terror.
Basnayake’s case will be heard in court again on Dec 2. - The Straits Times/ANN
