‘I Forgive Whoever Has Done This’: Bishop Calls for Calm After Church Stabbing

The Orthodox Christian bishop who was stabbed in the chest while conducting a livestream service in Western Sydney said he forgave the attacker and urged his followers to refrain from retaliation. In his first public comments since the attack, Mar Mari Emmanuel, the Assyrian bishop of Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley, said he was “doing fine” and “recovering very quickly.” “We thank the Lord Jesus, so there is no need to be worried or concerned,” he said. According to footage captured on a live stream on April 16, Mr. Emmanuel was giving a sermon at the altar of the church when a male dressed in black approached him, pulled out a knife, and repeatedly struck the bishop in the upper body....