Turkish church spokesman calls attack on priest 'isolated episode'

Published: 2006-07-07

ROME (CNS) -- A spokesman for Turkey's bishops said a recent attack on a Catholic priest -- the fifth this year -- did not reflect Christian-Muslims tensions. "This was the act of a madman which does no good to the image of Turkey," said Msgr. George Marovitch, spokesman for the Turkish bishops' conference. "But it was an isolated episode -- there is no tension or violence, and Christian-Muslim relations are good as usual." Father Pierre Brunissen, 74, a French priest, was stabbed in the hip and leg on a busy street near St. Mary Church in the Black Sea coastal city of Trebizond, Turkey. In a July 3 interview with the Rome-based Fides agency, Msgr. Marovitch said, "Numerous Muslims have offered to donate their blood should it be necessary to help Father Pierre."

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .