Danny Abdallah, the father of the Oatlands crash tragedy, has spoken out after a popular bishop, who he has known for years, was stabbed during a sermon.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney’s west on Monday just after 7pm when a man dressed in black walked up to the altar and stabbed him multiple times.
There are also reports of multiple others taken to hospital as a tense situation unfolds on nearby streets.
Mr Abdallah, who is a devoted Christian, said he cannot comprehend why anyone would want to hurt him.
‘He’s a respected man in the community. He’s loved by all of the Assyrian community especially,’ he said.
‘He’s a wonderful priest. He lives to serve others and help people.‘What happened tonight was just devastating.
‘I don’t know why anyone would do that. It doesn’t make sense he’s a very peaceful man.’
Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila’s children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking on a footpath to buy ice-cream in Oatlands, in Sydney’s west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.
The driver, Samuel Davidson, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.
He is serving a 20-year jail sentence.
Despite the horrific tragedy and the anger he felt, he publicly forgave Davidson and credited his faith for giving him the courage to do so.
