(LifeSiteNews) — An Irish military chaplain priest has forgiven his attacker, an Islam-inspired teen who stabbed him seven times.
Father Paul Murphy, a chaplain for Ireland’s Defence Forces, was approached by a 16-year old boy as he drove towards the gates of the military barracks upon returning from a swim. Once Fr. Murphy lowered his window in order to speak with the youth, the boy immediately began to lash out at him with a serrated hunting knife. Fr. Murphy recounted what happened next in court:
In an attempt to escape the piercing knife, I drove ahead, crashing through the gates of the barracks, while my assailant kept pace with me and continued to try to rob me of my life. When my car came to a natural stop at a curb, I struggled to fend off my attacker through the open window, and subsequently through my open door, until our duty soldiers intervened and overpowered the aggressor.
Fr. Murphy was injured with seven “deep lacerations” to his arms which required surgery, as well as minor cuts to his body and face. Due to his wounds, he was unable to offer Mass for three months, and he now has limited function in his hand, including difficulty firmly gripping large objects.
The attack occurred on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven.
Detective Sergeant Paul McNulty has said it was an “indiscriminate” attack, not intended for Fr. Murphy in particular. The boy is reported to have told Irish state police, “I did it in protest of the Irish Defence Forces and their work in Mali and all the stuff for Islam.”
The teen, who remains anonymous due to his age, told the court he converted to Islam at age 15. Irish police say he adopted a “radicalised Islamist mindset,” as evidenced by “particularly graphic” footage of beheadings and other forms of extreme violence on his electronic devices. Some of this content showed support of the “Islamic State” terrorist group.
As The Independent reported, Fr. Murphy told the boy in court, “As a man of faith, I am in the business of forgiveness, and I offer to you, the young man standing accused before me, the forgiveness that will hopefully help you to become a better person.”
“Life is for living and for loving, and, I promise you, your life will find its ultimate joy when you live honourably and love generously,” the priest told the teen.
During his victim impact statement, Fr. Murphy declared that the night of the attack was “filled with blessings,” including the protection of his “divine ‘top cover,’” Our Lady of the Rosary, the patron of the Irish Defence Forces, and his guardian angel. He was also grateful for the blessing of his “exceptional ‘ground cover,’” the help of the armed guards who derailed his attacker.
“And I thank God every single day that the knife tore through my skin, and not through the body of one of my comrades. I consider it an honour and a privilege to carry those scars until my dying day,” said the priest.
He noted that besides the lasting injury to his left arm, the attack has left him more vigilant than before, adding that he will probably “never feel fully free.”
The teen is reported to have apologized to Fr. Murphy during the court proceedings. At the end of the hearing, the priest shook the boy’s hand, and they then spoke before hugging.
The boy was charged at Galway District Court with attempted murder and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Fr. Murphy.
