An Irish priest whose arm was almost severed in an attack by a 16-year-old boy last year has given an astonishing personal assessment of the attack while also publicly forgiving and embracing his attacker in a Dublin court.
The attack happened on 15 Aug. 2024 as Irish Defence Forces chaplain Father Paul F. Murphy drove back to his army barracks after an evening swim. The then 16-year-old assailant, who still can't be named for legal reasons, approached the chaplain's vehicle and when Murphy lowered his window, the teen stabbed him repeatedly with a knife, continuing as the wounded priest tried to drive his car away. The attack was only stopped when on-duty members of the Irish Defence Forces at the camp fired warning shots at the attacker.
Murphy dismissed notions suggested in coverage of and reaction to the attack that, as he put it, “the poor priest was just in the wrong place at the wrong time”, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263413/army-chaplain-in-dublin-court-forgives-embraces-teen-who-nearly-killed-him"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> the <em>Catholic News Agency (CNA)</em>. In his victim impact statement, the army chaplain said: “While I can remember each gory detail, I believe the attempted murder lasted only about 90 seconds.
“I am convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was the right person, in the right place, and at the right time. That night was filled with blessings.
“Out of all the members of our Defence Forces, I was best placed to take the knife that night. I feel that I can contextualise the events of 15th August in my life in a way that would be much more difficult for a young soldier starting out in adulthood.
“And I thank God every single day that the knife tore through my skin, and not through the body of one of my comrades. I consider it an honour and a privilege to carry those scars until my dying day.”
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/army-chaplain-stabbed-in-potential-terrorist-attack-in-ireland/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: Army chaplain stabbed in potential terrorist attack in Ireland</em></strong></mark></a>
Speaking directly to his assailant during the sentencing hearing, Murphy said: “As a man of faith, I am in the business of forgiveness, and I offer to you, the young man standing accused before me, the forgiveness that will hopefully help you to become a better person.”
During the criminal court hearing in Dublin, the now 17-year-old apologised to Murphy, who publicly embraced his teenage attacker whose assault left him with life-changing physical and psychological injuries. The two also spoke privately at the court hearing, <em>CNA</em> reports.
Referencing the significance of the attack coinciding with the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption of Mary, Murphy described how he felt the intercession of the <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/the-remarkable-courage-of-the-jesuit-who-rescued-souls-on-the-wwi-battlefields/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">World War I Irish army chaplain who is being considered for canonisation</mark></a>.
“That night was also the vigil of the anniversary of the death of the Irish Jesuit Father Willie Doyle, an army chaplain who was killed in battle in the First World War,” Murphy said.
“Investigations are ongoing to see if Father Doyle should be canonised as a saint, and we had been praying for his intercession in our Garrison Church, one hundred meters from where I was attacked. I felt his intercession that night.”
The Dublin Central Criminal Court heard testimony that the teenager supported the ISIS terrorist group and had been radicalised online. When questioned, the assailant admitted to the premeditated attack. However, he intended to target any member of the Defence Forces; Murphy was not targeted because he was a priest. The assailant said he did it to “protest the Irish Defence Forces work in Mali and all the stuff for Islam”, <em>CNA</em> reports.
Murphy said the incident has caused him to be more vigilant and he is undergoing counselling from a fellow priest who is also a psychotherapist. His left arm is still not fully functioning.
“The attack on me wasn’t personal, so I don’t feel particularly vulnerable, but, with good reason, I cannot rule it out from happening again. Sometimes, when one man fails in a mission, another takes up the mantle, and, with that in mind, I will probably never fully feel free,” he said.
Currently Murphy is involved in organising the Irish Defence Forces participation in the annual international military pilgrimage to Lourdes in France.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/a-holy-man-in-the-hell-of-war/"><strong><em><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">RELATED: A holy man in the hell of war</mark></em></strong></a>
<em>Photo: Fr Paul Murphy exits courts (Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire.)</em>
