THE IRISH army chaplain who was stabbed outside his barracks in Galway last week, Fr Paul Murphy, has been released from hospital. On Saturday a 16-year-old boy was charged, and remanded in custody, in relation to the attack.
The alleged attacker cannot be named because of his age. On Saturday, a court heard that the Irish police believe that the boy “holds a radical Islamist mindset”, the Irish Times reported.
Detective Sergeant Paul McNulty said that investigators did not think that the teenager was known to Fr Murphy, and that the selection of a victim had been “indiscriminate”.
In a further hearing on Tuesday, the boy was remanded in a children’s detention centre in Dublin until next month.
According to Mr McNulty, Fr Murphy suffered an “unprovoked, frenzied attack” while returning to Renmore Barracks in Galway on Thursday evening of last week.
He suffered deep cuts to his arms which required surgery, as well as minor cuts to his face. A knife with an eight-inch blade was reportedly recovered from the scene.
On Friday morning of last week, Fr Murphy posted on Facebook to say that he as “doing okay” as he awaited surgery. He has since been discharged from hospital.
He thanked people for their “prayers, love, and concern”, and concluded: “All will be well.”
On the same day, the Bishop of Waterford & Lismore, the Rt Revd Alphonsus Cullinan, said that it was “essential to come together as a community during this difficult time.” He condemned the attack, and asked people to pray for Fr Murphy, who was ordained in the diocese, and said that he was “facing an unimaginable ordeal”.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of unity within our community. We must come together not only to support our injured priest but also to foster an environment where such acts do not occur again,” Bishop Cullinan said.
Also on Friday, the Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora, the Rt Revd Michael Duignan, made a short statement, saying that he was praying for Fr Murphy and for the medics attending to him.