Sydney church shooting: Bishop Mar Mari’s harrowing sermon months before attack warned congregation he had ‘weeks left’

The bishop who was stabbed during a church sermon in Sydney’s south-west on Monday was warned of a threat to his life in the weeks leading up to the incident.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley during an incident which was broadcast on the church’s live stream.

His alleged attacker, a 15-year-old boy dressed all in black, was seen approaching and then stabbing the bishop several times as he rained down blows on his head and torso at the altar as parishioners screamed and ran to the priest’s aid.

In February, Bishop Mar Mari revealed he had been warned he would die within weeks in threats made on social media.

“There’s been a video circulating on TikTok and I don’t know where else that says the bishop has two weeks to live,” he said in a sermon.

“Someone says, “Goodbye Bishop and we are really sorry to see you go”.

‘Look, I was extremely excited when I heard I have two weeks left. Because I don’t want to stay in this world. For me it’s over.

‘Whether I stay or not, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve had my share of this world. And I pray that the Lord take me today before tomorrow, I will be with him.’

Bishop Mar Mari said that if he died, it would not be an ‘escape’ or ‘running away’.

“I say it with confidence in the Lord Jesus, I love you, Lord, and I choose you,” he said.

‘Any time of the day, all day long, to be with you. I don’t care about the world and what the world gives.

‘Thanks to the person who made this video. Thank you. I didn’t know I was going to die in two weeks.

‘I’m not sure if I’ll go in two weeks; maybe I don’t know,” he said, before brushing off any insinuations that he was struggling with health issues.

“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think I’m sick and I’m dying.”

The video clip of his sermon ended with the bishop saying: ‘Some of them heard and said: ‘Yes, finally we are getting rid of this old bishop.’

‘Sorry guys. I’m still sitting on your heart,’ he laughed.

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after a stabbing of the bishop which sparked unrest as an angry mob confronted the police.

Police have declared the incident a terrorist attack as Prime Minister Chris Minns called for calm on Monday night after the stabbing of Bishop.

‘The violent images are probably what caused the uproar in the community – people saw it, reacted and unfortunately we ended up with a public order incident,’ NSW Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters.

The suspect was ‘known to the police’, Mr Holland said, and not a regular churchgoer.

Minns said the scene was disturbing but called for calm, adding he was calling a meeting of faith leaders representing religious communities in western Sydney late on Monday night.

He said they ‘endorsed and supported a unanimous condemnation of violence in any form, called on the local community to follow the instructions of the rescue team and the police and called for calm in the community’.

“We encourage everyone to act with kindness and respect for each other,” he said.

NSW Ambulance said they were called to the church at around 10am. 19.15 and sent several paramedics to the scene.

NSW Police said two priests were taken to hospital.

The church said Bishop Emmanuel and a senior priest were in a stable condition and also appealed for calm.

‘We ask for your prayers at this time,’ the church said in a statement on social media.

‘We also kindly ask everyone in the church to go in peace, as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us.’

Sir. Holland said a 15-year-old suspect “continues to injure his hand as a result of his actions”.

He said the stabbed suspect was held down by parishioners at the church until police arrived.

“Police were in the process of transporting the young person from the church when it was identified that a large group was gathered outside,” Holland said.

‘A decision was made to keep the young man in the church for his safety’.

The crowd continued to build outside the church and ‘a public order incident developed which required police from all regions of Sydney’.

Holland said more than 100 police officers and 30 police cars attended and the suspect was later removed from the church.

Two police officers were taken to hospital after being injured by members of the crowd who broke into ‘a number of houses to grab weapons to throw at the police’.

More than 20 police cars were damaged.

Holland said some in the group also threw objects at the church in an attempt to gain access to the suspect.

“They need to let the police do their job and let us do the investigation,” he said.

“Police will be making future arrests in relation to this public order incident,” Holland said.