Man arrested over allegedly assaulting priest at Church of the Holy Spirit

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (Feb 9) morning after allegedly assaulting a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Upper Thomson Road.

The police said they received a call for assistance at 10.35am following the incident, which took place after mass during dispersal.

CNA can confirm that the priest was Father Cary Chan, one of the parish's four resident priests. He told CNA on the phone that he had been punched by the suspect outside the church.

Altar servers said the incident occurred after the 9.30am mass. Father Chan went on to celebrate the 11.30am mass, said the servers.

According to preliminary investigations, the Singaporean Chinese man is a regular churchgoer.

He was immediately detained by church security personnel before being handed over to responding police officers. No weapon was found in his possession, and the priest did not sustain any injuries.

The suspect has been arrested for public nuisance and will be referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for further assessment, the police said in a statement.

Authorities also urged the public to avoid speculation as investigations continue.

In a statement, the Catholic Church in Singapore said the priest was "hit" by the 22-year-old man.

"The priest has been attended to by medics, and apart from some slight swelling on his face, is safe and well," said the Archbishop’s Communications Office.

The altar servers told CNA Father Chan appeared "normal" during the later mass and did not mention the incident to the parishioners. 

A churchgoer, who gave his name as Mr Lee, said he arrived around 11.20am for the 11.30am mass and saw around five to six police officers. He described Father Chan as someone known to be "very composed" and behaved like "everything was normal" during the later mass.

This incident comes just months after a separate, more violent attack at St Joseph's Church in Upper Bukit Timah, where a priest was stabbed during a service.

On Nov 9, 2024, 37-year-old Singaporean Basnayake Keith Spencer allegedly used a foldable knife to stab Father Christopher Lee in the mouth. The attack, which occurred during communion at a children's mass, left Father Lee requiring surgery, though he was later discharged.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Spencer acted alone, with the police not suspecting that the attack was religiously motivated or an act of terrorism.

Additional reporting by Charmaine Jacob.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that the police amended the reason for the man's arrest from attempted assault to assault.