Priest suffers 'slight swelling' on face after alleged assault at Church of the Holy Spirit

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to assault a priest at a Catholic church on Sunday (Feb 9).

In a Facebook post by the Singapore Police Force today, it stated that police had received a call for assistance at 10.35am to the Church of the Holy Spirit, located at 248 Upper Thomson Road.

According to the statement, preliminary investigations revealed that the Singaporean man had allegedly tried to assault a priest after the church service as the congregation was dispersing. 

The man was identified as a regular church-goer. 

He was detained immediately by church security personnel and no weapon was found in his possession, the police stated, adding that the man was later handed over to responding police officers.

The priest did not sustain any visible injuries, according to police.

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Police also stated that they have arrested the man for the offence of public nuisance and will be referring him to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for further assessment.

In its statement, it urged the public to refrain from speculation as investigations are ongoing and advised the public to co-operate with security personnel deployed at all places of worship "as they are there to ensure a safe environment for all".

A statement posted to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore's website on Sunday shared that the priest was attended to by medics and is "safe and well", "apart from some slight swelling on his face".

"We ask for everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation, and to pray for the priest and the person involved in the incident," said the statement.

AsiaOne has contacted the archdiocese for more information.

Stabbing at St Joseph's Church

This incident comes months after a priest was stabbed by a knife-wielding man at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah.

37-year-old Basnayake Keith Spencer was charged with one count of using a knife to voluntarily cause grievous hurt to 57-year-old Reverend Christopher Lee in the November 2024 case.

The attack left Lee with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.

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candicecai@asiaone.com