News from
Priest says 'I forgive you' in court to juvenile who stabbed him seven times
2025-04-18 18:45:04| Spiritual Career Counseling
It was a moment that stunned and moved court practitioners hardened by years of dealing with murder and rape cases.The sight of Fr Paul Murphy reaching out to his attacker and placing his left hand on the boys shoulder and talking intimately with him, with the boy placing his hand on the priest's back, stopped people in their tracks.The priests left arm had suffered the brunt of deep wounds from an eight-inch hunting knife, with a serrated blade, that the then 16-year-old boy used in an Islamist-inspired attack.The boy, now 17, sustained his onslaught over some 90 seconds and a distance of 25 metres, inflicting seven serious injuries, partially severing the arms, though none were fatal.Fr Murphy, aged 53, told the Central Criminal Court that a religious intercession protected him that night and that his "guardian angel" also intervened.The attack took place at around 10.40pm on August 15, 2024, at the entrance to Renmore Barracks, Galway city, where Fr Murphy, a Defence Forces chap...
Category:
Employment