Archbishop Kelvin Felix of St. Lucia was brutally attacked last Wednesday by a man armed with a knife. The 26-year-old assailant attempted to cut the archbishop's throat.
Instead, his knife struck the archbishop's Roman collar, slashing it off his neck but missing his throat.
Archbishop Felix, 73, is the head of the Catholic Church in St. Lucia. In 2003, he celebrated a Mass for thousands of pro-life demonstrators as the government was considering legalizing abortion. During his homily, he told the crowd, “”the children who have been aborted have no chance. We must be safe in our mother's womb. We must not allow a mother's womb to become a death chamber!”
The attack came as he was leaving the Cathedral in the capital of Castries. He was not physically hurt, but told Port-of-Spain Archbishop Edward Gilbert he was shaken by the attack.
In a news conference in Castries on Thursday, Archbishop Felix said the savage assault might have been the result of the hatred for the Catholic Church that is preached by other religious organizations in St. Lucia.
He called for legislation to stop the preaching of hatred against the Catholic Church and its teaching, and in particular for an end to the radio broadcasting of anti-Catholic rants.
The man arrested for the attack will be charged with attempted murder, the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reported last week.
The Catholic Church in St. Lucia suffered a violent assault five years ago when worshippers at the midnight mass December 31, 2000, were attacked by two men. The church was set on fire and an Irish nun, Sister Teresa Egan, was killed. The priest at the alter, Fr. Charles Gaillard, received serious burns to his face.
(This article courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)