Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 10, 2024 / 18:25 pm
A Maronite Catholic priest is recovering from injuries he suffered after a man attacked him at the rectory in Philadelphia, across the street from the St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church, at which he is the pastor.
The alleged attacker — 59-year-old Basem Lama — is accused of banging and kicking on the front door of the rectory and causing enough damage to force entry into the building and assault the priest, Father Andrew El-Tabchi, on Oct. 2, according to a police report the Philadelphia Police Department provided to CNA. Lama was charged with several crimes, including aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass, and terroristic threats.
According to the report, the attacker punched and slapped El-Tabchi but was eventually pushed out of the rectory. It states that the alleged assailant fled the property, going west on Ellsworth Street on the south side of the city.
“The attack only strengthened my resolve to protect the parish and to stand up for the safety of each and every one of my parishioners,” El-Tabchi said in a letter to parishioners following the attack. “This is my duty, and I will not waver in defending the sacred space that we all cherish.”
El-Tabchi declined an interview with CNA while he continues to recover from the attack. The police report noted that he suffered back pain after the incident. The Philadelphia ABC affiliate reported that he needed to walk with a cane following the attack.
“The morning the rectory was attacked was a turning point for me, one that forced me to reflect deeply on life, faith, and the forces of evil,” El-Tabchi said in the letter to parishioners. “The experience reminded me how short life is and how evil can be lurking just around the corner, ready to strike at any time. But rather than giving in to fear, I embraced the truth that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Chorbishop Michael G. Thomas, the vicar general of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, told CNA: “We thank God that Father El-Tabchi is doing well” after the attack but did not comment further. The eparchy has jurisdiction over the Maronite Catholic Church along the east coast of the United States.
El-Tabchi is pressing charges against the man and wrote in the letter that “God is both merciful and just,” adding that “mercy without justice is dead, and justice without mercy is ruthless.” He said “in God, we see the perfect balance of both, teaching us to live with compassion while upholding what is right and just.”
“We are invited, as Jesus teaches us, to be like our Heavenly Father — merciful and just — reflecting his love in both our actions and decisions,” the priest added. “Seeking justice doesn’t negate mercy; it allows us to act with integrity while trusting in God’s divine plan for both healing and accountability.”
El-Tabchi further wrote that “individuals who make inappropriate choices that affect others negatively … need God’s help [and] they need our help” and asked parishioners to pray for the attacker. He said Catholics must “reflect Christ’s love, even when faced with darkness.”
“Today, we are invited to pray for the lost soul who committed this act and to forgive him,” El-Tabchi concluded. “This is the heart of the Gospel message — to love and forgive, even in the face of injustice or harm. Just as Christ forgives us, we must extend that same mercy to others. Through prayer and forgiveness, we show the true strength of our faith.”
The South Detectives Division of the Philadelphia Police Department is handling the investigation.
St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church, named after the fourth-century Syriac Catholic saint who is the patron of the Maronite Catholic Church, is the only Maronite Church in Philadelphia — and one of nine in Pennsylvania. The Maronite rite is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Rome.
According to the parish website, the church serves men and women who emigrated from Lebanon to the United States as well as “faithful men and women who are not of Lebanese descent, but … [are] attracted to the spirituality and traditions of our Maronite rite.” The Maronite Patriarchate is located in Bkerke, Lebanon, north of Beirut.
This story was updated at 11:39 a.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in the second paragraph with the identity of the attacker and the charges against him.
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