Religious groups condemned the attack on priests and said there was no tolerance for violence in places of worship

SINGAPORE – Leaders of Singapore’s main religious groups have condemned the Nov 9 attack on the pastor of St Joseph’s Church, saying acts of violence in a place of worship cannot be tolerated.

The Interfaith Organization (IRO), which represents ten religions in Singapore – Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism – said that she prays for the recovery of Pastor Christopher Lee.

It added that it stands in solidarity with the Catholic community affected by this act of violence at their place of worship, and hopes that the children who were there heal from this traumatic incident.

“We condemn this individual’s act of violence in a sacred space where individuals gathered for religious service,” the report said in a statement on November 9.

The IRO added that it is grateful to the agencies working to protect the community and urged the public to show support for Catholics at this difficult time.

“These are times to demonstrate interfaith compassion and social cohesion, as we have always done in Singapore. Let us remain calm and united in love and solidarity.”

The Sikh Advisory Council said it was “saddened and shocked” to hear of the attack.

It read: ‘We stand together with our brothers and sisters of the Catholic faith in this difficult time.

“Our prayers go out to Father Christopher, his family and loved ones, and the parishioners of St. Joseph Church for his well-being and to give everyone the strength to deal with this painful and unfortunate incident.”

It added that places of worship are sacred spaces and acts of violence cannot be tolerated in such spaces, just as such acts will not be tolerated in the rest of Singapore.

“We hope that everyone will also remain calm and not speculate at this time as investigations are ongoing,” it added.

The Buddhist community was shocked to learn of the unprovoked attack, the Singapore Buddhist Federation said. It added that the attack was “terribly horrific”.

“The Buddhist community would like to join all sisters and brothers of all faiths in praying for the speedy recovery of Father Christopher Lee,” it added. It also called on Singaporeans not to speculate or spread rumors to protect the country’s religious harmony.