Shock over 'brutal' attack on priest in church

Fr Murray was due to celebrate Mass at St Patrick's Church

A priest is being treated in hospital for a "serious head injury" after being hit with a bottle in a church in Downpatrick.

Fr John Murray was attacked in St Patrick's Church prior to celebrating Mass at about 10:10 BST on Sunday. It was going to be his last Mass before he retired.

Police said the attack "may be connected" to the death of a man in Downpatrick.

The Diocese of Down and Connor, which includes St Patrick's Church, said Fr Murray was attacked by a man who had asked him to hear confession.

Fr John Murray was attacked prior to Mass on Sunday

An elderly parishioner, who was in the church when the incident occurred, said he heard women saying that Fr Murray was injured.

He said the women would not let him into the sacristy, the room in a church where a priest prepares for a service.

"Then the police arrived - there was commotion, everyone was talking. And then I heard the ambulance arrive," he said.

"It was mayhem in the church. People were aghast at what happened."

The parishioner, who said he knows Fr Murray well, described him as a "really brilliant man".

Police said a man walked into the church on St Patrick's Avenue and hit the priest on the head before leaving.

Det Ch Insp McBurney said: "This was a completely shocking and brutal attack and has left the priest with a serious head injury."

The priest was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where police said he remained in a "serious condition".

In an update on social media on Sunday evening, the church said Fr Murray was receiving "excellent medical care" and it was "hugely appreciative of all the well wishes and prayers".

Mass has been cancelled until further notice, the church said, and the parish office will be closed to the public on Monday.

Fr Martin Graham took a prayer vigil in another church in Downpatrick on Sunday evening

On Sunday evening hundreds of parishioners gathered for a vigil at St Brigid's Church in Downpatrick.

They told the BBC that Fr Murray was a "good man" and the whole town was devastated by what had happened.

Fr Martin Graham, who took the service, said it was about being with the parishioners and praying with them, for Fr Murray and also "for the other poor man who lost his life".

He said Fr Murray had given the last 11 years of life to the parish and was due to retire on Thursday.

"He is so well thought of by the people here," he said. "It is just heartbreaking for them in what was supposed to be a poignant farewell this morning that it turned into something which was just grotesque."

Sinn Féin councillor Oonagh Hanlon said Fr Murray was "a very much loved and respected parish priest".

"My thoughts go to him and also the parishioners who came across this horrific incident this morning," she added.

SDLP South Down assembly member Colin McGrath condemned the "disgraceful" attack.

"For this to happen in the church is particularly disgusting and I have spoken to many members of the community who are shocked and upset that this has taken place," he said.

Diane Forsythe, a Democratic Unionist Party assembly member for the area, condemned the "shocking and disgraceful attack on a religious leader in a place of worship".

Alliance assembly member Andrew McMurray said the "heartbreaking" incidents had shocked the community.