A Brazilian priest was attacked in the middle of Mass on Sunday by a woman who brutally shoved him off a two-meter-tall altar.
Marcelo Rossi, a Grammy-nominated Latin singer, suffered only slight injuries after toppling down and returned to finish the live-streamed Mass being held in Cachoeira Paulista, São Paulo.
The unidentified woman, a 32-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, told reporters Monday that what occurred was “between [Rossi] and I,” and she can be seen smiling after the push. The woman reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder.
“The priest is well,” the church said in a statement after the incident. “He was attended by the medical staff at the event and presided over the celebration to the end.”
The woman was detained, but Father Rossi decided not to press charges, saying he was protected by the Virgin Mary.
An estimated 50,000 attendees witnessed the assault at the youth camp where Father Rossi was preaching.
“All our solidarity with Father Marcelo Rossi,” Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, said in a tweet. “God looks [over] Brazil.”
– Toda nossa solidariedade ao Padre Marcelo Rossi. Deus olhe para o nosso Brasil. ??
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 14, 2019
Father Rossi is widely-known within the Catholic community in Brazil, selling millions of musical records and being called a “pop-star priest.” Also a bestselling author, the Brazilian icon has a significant youth following.
