Priest Stabbed During Mass in Canada

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Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with this priest, comfort him, and heal him.
 
Thank you for posting. This is getting ZERO attention in the media here.
 
US reports:

www.nbcnews.com

Priest stabbed during livestream of morning mass in Canada's largest church

Father Claude Grou, the rector of the Saint Joseph's Oratory, was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com


www.catholicnewsagency.com

Catholic priest in Montreal stabbed during Mass at St. Joseph's Oratory Canada

A Catholic priest in Montreal is in stable condition after being stabbed during Friday morning Mass. One suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the attack.
www.catholicnewsagency.com www.catholicnewsagency.com
 
I’m pleasantly surpised that any major American media outlets reported it.

I’m also happy to hear that the injuries were slight.
 
It is Fr. Claude Grou, the rector of St. Joseph’s Oratory; I’ve attended Mass presided by him several times. I attended Mass at the Oratory just this past Tuesday. Very sad to hear this but local media is reporting that he is out of danger, and that the wounds were superficial, thanks be to God.

At daily Mass, he gave brilliant one or two line homilies that stuck with you all day. I hope he’ll be back to giving them again soon!
 
Here is a video of the attack
The people at mass were very shocked when it happened, as shouts and screens show.
 
That’s the crypt church, where I attended 7 am Mass this past Tuesday (but not with Fr. Grou).

Shocking.
 
As an aside, isn’t this one of the historical reasons alter boys exist? To protect from attacks on the alter and the priest?
 
It had to be the 8:30 am Mass, that’s the one that’s broadcast live. On Tuesday I had to drive my wife to the airport, she had a 7 am flight to visit her sister on the west coast. so I had a quick breakfast after dropping her off at the airport and headed over to St. Joseph’s Oratory, since it was also the solemnity of St. Joseph as well. I recited the Office of Readings and Lauds quietly in my pew before the 7 am Mass started.

So I’m quite freaked out about this. But it brings to mind an incident I experienced in the same place, some 9 or 10 years ago, at the 7 am Mass. I man came in during Mass yelling that his best and only friend was killed in a road accident in his truck, and disrupted the Mass. Fortunately he was not violent. The priest handled it well by adding a prayer for the man’s friend. Sure enough, when I got to the office, there was a news item about a nearby accident involving a delivery truck that lost control and smashed into a building. The man was clearly distraught, and based on his accent and the trucker’s name they were both recent immigrants, so probably with little local support.

But today… a stabbing. I wonder if it was just a mentally-disturbed person, or related to the abuse scandals? The community that runs the Oratory, the Congregation of the Holy Cross, also run a college and have had abuse cases and have had to pay settlements to the victims.
 
Wait…why did they all just stand there? The thug was right there! They should’ve tackled him to the floor and bounced his head off the steps a few times. Instead, they just kind of stand around and look at him. :roll_eyes:
 
I wondered the same. I saw one or two people stand up, realizing something was amiss.
My guess is that they were just surprised and did not know what was happening and then it happened very quickly. But I too wondered why an usher, altar server, other person did not at least grab the man’s arm and say, “Hey, where are you going?” before he got right up on top of the priest like that.

I was also shocked that the priest or deacon at the lectern ran away rather than helping the priest who was being attacked, but then again, he was probably startled and not thinking.

Edited to add, I also found this in the news coverage:
The suspect was quickly wrestled to the floor by security guards after stabbing Grou, who is the rector of the oratory.
Click to expand...
Um, no, if you watch the long version of the footage, after the man stabbed the priest he got up and let the priest get away while concerned Mass-goers ran into the sanctuary and start remonstrating with him. They’re about half his size and look like they might be elderly so nobody is wrestling him to the floor. One older man goes to check on the priest who is now standing up at a little distance, and stand with him. The deacon or whoever was at the lectern comes moseying back in like it’s no big deal…It’s truly a miracle that more people weren’t hurt because NOBODY was subduing this guy.
 
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Yes, I expect that folks were just confused about what was happening as one is wont to be when the unexpected happens.

I noted that news item myself but then I also heard a witness interviewed say that they had wrestled him to the ground and sat on him and that’s when I said to my husband, “That’s why you don’t trust eyewitness testimony.”
 
I don’t doubt that when the security man FINALLY arrived, which would appear to be no sooner than a couple minutes after the event, they put the guy on the ground, but it seems like he had quite a bit of time standing around having a chat with people first.

And yes, eyewitness testimony, especially in some startling situation, is notoriously unreliable.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I don’t doubt that when the security man FINALLY arrived, which would appear to be no sooner than a couple minutes after the event, they put the guy on the ground, but it seems like he had quite a bit of time standing around having a chat with people first.

And yes, eyewitness testimony, especially in some startling situation, is notoriously unreliable.
Click to expand...
I have a hard time picturing them doing that since it was repeatedly said that he didn’t resist in any way, but who knows.
 
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