A series of global attacks targeting priests followed a recent incident in Singapore where Father Christopher Lee was stabbed during Mass on November 9th. This was at least the third such attack that month.

During Holy Communion at St. Joseph Church in Bukit Timah, Basnayake Keith Spencer, wielding a knife, assaulted Father Lee, as reported by OSV News.

Spencer faces charges of causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon and has been remanded for three weeks.

Father Lee sustained a tongue laceration and cuts to his lip and mouth but is recovering.

Another attack occurred the same day at a monastery in Valencia, Spain. An unidentified man, shouting “I am Jesus Christ,” attacked three friars with a blunt object.

Following the assault at the Monastery of Santo Espíritu del Monte, one of the friars, 76-year-old Father Juan Antonio Llorente, died two days later from his injuries.

On November 9th, Poland also reported a fatal attack. Father Lech Lachowicz, 72, died from injuries sustained a week earlier during an alleged robbery attempt at his rectory. A 27-year-old assailant, using an axe, is in custody.

These incidents follow a similar attack on a priest in Philadelphia roughly a month earlier; he is reportedly recovering.

Globally, hate crimes are increasing, targeting various religious groups including Catholics, Jews, and Muslims, especially in Europe and the U.S.

An OSCE report across 48 European nations documented over 4,480 anti-Semitic hate crimes, over 580 against Christians, and nearly 240 against Muslims.

While anti-Christian and anti-Muslim incidents decreased, anti-Semitic crimes rose by over 20%.

In the U.S. in 2023, attacks against Catholics ranked fourth after Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews—a trend amplified by the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict.

The FBI reported a rise in overall U.S. hate crimes in 2023 compared to 2022, with a 20% increase in religiously motivated hate crimes.

More than [number] religiously motivated hate crimes were reported in 2023, up from approximately [number] in 2022.

While anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised over half of religiously motivated hate crimes in 2022, this increased to 67% in 2023.

Anti-Muslim hate crimes accounted for less than 9% in 2022, with 236 attacks.

Attacks against Sikhs comprised 5%, and those against Catholics nearly 3%.

All attacks against Christians (Catholic, Protestant, and other) totaled over 6% (176 incidents) in 2023.

Britain and Wales saw a similar trend: a 5% decrease in overall hate crimes but a 25% rise in religiously motivated hate crimes.

Anti-Semitic crimes more than doubled in 2023 (over 3,280 incidents compared to 1,540 in 2022), while anti-Muslim crimes increased by 13%.