Pastor blames San Francisco gov't after parishioner stabbed during Mass
The pastor of a Roman Catholic church in San Francisco placed partial blame for a parishioner's recent stabbing on the local government, which he said has allowed crime and mental illness to run rampant in the city.
Marko Asaulyuk, 25, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly stabbing a Catholic parent in front of the parish school associated with the historic Saints Peter & Paul Church in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood last Sunday, according to local ABC7.
The stabbing marks the second stabbing at the church in less than a month, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
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San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was reportedly confirming parish students during a noon Mass when Asaulyuk wandered into the church, walking up and down the aisle with a bottle of wine while being disruptive.
Father Tho Bui, who pastors Sts. Peter and Paul Church, told the Catholic News Agency that parishioners and parents escorted the man out of the church after telling him to leave, but that an ensuing "scuffle" outside led to one father being stabbed in the leg.
Asaulyuk, who was reportedly homeless, told someone outside the church that "Jesus is not real" and began an altercation that resulted in the stabbing.
Asaulyuk was subsequently arrested with the help of witnesses, and the victim taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to local KRON. A church worker told the outlet it concerns them that the man was armed while inside the church around children, but that they are going to "pray and see what happens."
Bui was relieved that Asaulyuk was arrested and jailed without bail for what he called a "sad" and "disturbing" incident, but expressed frustration regarding the level of crime that is allowed to happen in San Francisco.
"Very likely, by getting him off the streets, our parishioners and dads prevented something even worse from happening," he told CNA. "But this is just the latest in an unending series of incidents caused by our city government’s tolerance of crime and mentally ill people on the streets."
The pastor went on to note that the lawlessness afflicting the Democrat-run city is not confined to their church, which he said is more vulnerable because they believe God calls them to be open daily.
"It’s not specific to Sts. Peter and Paul," Bui said regarding the city's crime spree. "We saw in the news just this past week that the nurses at SF General [Hospital] and the librarians at our public libraries are demanding more protection from exactly the kind of incidents we had on Sunday."
"Like SF General and the public libraries, we are open every single day. The mission of Jesus Christ requires it! While both our school and club can, and do, fulfill their missions while having gates and doors locked, the Church cannot," he added.
Violent crime in San Francisco rose about 3% from 2022 to 2023, increasing from 5,309 incidents in 2022 to 5,479 in 2023. The number is lower than the previous year, when the rate of violent crime increased 8% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
