Man arrested after he allegedly assaulted priest at Church of the Holy Spirit in Upper Thomson

SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly assaulted a priest at a Roman Catholic church on the morning of Feb 9.

In a statement on Facebook on the same day, the police said they had received a call for assistance at the Church of the Holy Spirit at around 10.30am.

The church is located in Upper Thomson.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that a 22-year-old Singaporean Chinese man allegedly assaulted a priest at the church after church service, during dispersal,” said the police.

Based on the preliminary investigations, the man is a regular churchgoer, said the police, adding that he was detained immediately by church security personnel.

Police said no weapon was found on the man, and he was handed over to police officers who responded to the call for assistance.

The priest did not sustain any visible injuries, and the police have arrested the man for an offence of public nuisance. The suspect will be referred to the Institute of Mental Health for further assessment, said the police.

“We would like to remind the public to refrain from speculation as investigations are ongoing,” they said.

The public is advised to cooperate with security personnel at places of worship, as they are there to ensure a safe environment for all, the police added.

Priest is ‘safe and well’

A statement issued on the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore’s website said the priest, whom it did not name, was hit by the 22-year-old after the 9.30am mass.

“The priest has been attended to by medics, and apart from some slight swelling on his face, is safe and well,” said the archdiocese, adding that further updates will be provided when more information is made available.

“We ask for everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation and to pray for the priest and the person involved in the incident.”

The archdiocese declined to respond to further queries from The Straits Times, but media reports said the priest involved in the incident was Father Cary Chan, 60. He is the church’s assistant parish priest.

Speaking to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao at about 5pm, Father Chan said the suspect, who is visually impaired and has special needs, became agitated about a bag he had left in a seat.

After the suspect retrieved the bag, he allegedly punched the head of the priest, who was about to ask him to leave the premises.

“He hit me hard on my head, causing my spectacles to fall off. It was a hard blow and caught me by surprise,” said Father Chan, adding that the suspect probably did not realise whom he had hit.

Despite being punched, Father Chan continued to lead a mass at 11.30am.

Church staff who spoke to Chinese-language daily Shin Min Daily News said they did not expect the suspect to attack the priest, as the suspect was usually humble and polite.

“He would ask people in the elevator which floor they wanted to go to, and help others by telling them where to take the MRT,” said one staff member, who declined to be named.

One parishioner, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, said she has seen the man in church before. He would occasionally yell during mass, but most of the congregation had grown used to it, she said.

In November 2024,

a priest was stabbed by a knife-wielding man

while he was conducting evening mass at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah. The assailant,

37-year-old Basnayake Keith Spencer

, was later charged with one count of using a knife to voluntarily cause grievous hurt to the Reverend Christopher Lee, 57.

According to court documents, the priest was stabbed in the mouth, leaving him with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.

Members of the congregation had disarmed Basnayake before police officers arrived at the scene to arrest him.