Army chaplain in Dublin court forgives, embraces teen who nearly killed him

Dublin, Ireland, Apr 16, 2025 / 12:26 pm (CNA).

An Irish priest whose arm was almost severed in an attack by a 16-year-old boy has publicly forgiven his attacker in a Dublin court. The attack happened as Irish Defence Forces chaplain Father Paul F. Murphy returned to his army barracks after an evening swim. 

During the victim impact statement, Murphy turned around to face the teenager, who told him: “I’m sorry.”

Speaking directly to his assailant during a sentencing hearing, Murphy said: “As a man of faith, I am in the business of forgiveness, and I offer to you, the young man standing accused before me, the forgiveness that will hopefully help you to become a better person.”

During the criminal court hearing in Dublin, Murphy publicly embraced his teenage attacker whose assault left him with life-changing physical and psychological injuries. 

The attack occurred on Aug. 15, 2024, as the priest returned to his barracks in Renmore after an evening swim. The 16-year-old assailant, who could not be named for legal reasons, approached his vehicle, and when Murphy lowered his window, the teen stabbed him repeatedly with a knife, continuing as the wounded priest drove his car forward. The attacker was disarmed by on-duty members of the Defence Forces who fired warning shots at him.

In his victim impact statement, the chaplain said: “While I can remember each gory detail, I believe the attempted murder lasted only about 90 seconds.”

He continued: “I did not see or hear much news, nor read much online or in the ‘papers,’ but one angle proffered was that ‘the poor priest was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ Your Honor, if it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else, and I am convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was the right person, in the right place, and at the right time. That night was filled with blessings.”

“Out of all the members of our Defence Forces, I was best placed to take the knife that night. I feel that I can contextualize the events of 15th August in my life in a way that would be much more difficult for a young soldier starting out in adulthood. And I thank God every single day that the knife tore through my skin, and not through the body of one of my comrades. I consider it an honor and a privilege to carry those scars until my dying day.”

Referencing the significance of the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption of Mary, Murphy said he felt the intercession of a World War I Irish army chaplain.

“That night was also the vigil of the anniversary of the death of the Irish Jesuit Father Willie Doyle, an army chaplain who was killed in battle in the First World War,” he said. “Investigations are ongoing to see if Father Doyle should be canonized as a saint, and we had been praying for his intercession in our Garrison Church, one hundred meters from where I was attacked. I felt his intercession that night.”

The Dublin Central Criminal Court heard testimony that the boy, who is now 17 years old, supported the Islamic State terrorist group and had been radicalized online. When questioned, the assailant admitted to the premeditated attack. However, he intended to target any member of the Defence Forces; Murphy was not targeted because he was a priest. He said he did it to “protest the Irish Defence Forces work in Mali and all the stuff for Islam.”

Subsequently, the boy apologized to Murphy, and the two embraced and spoke privately at the court hearing. 

Murphy said the incident has caused him to be more vigilant and he is undergoing counseling from a fellow priest who is also a psychotherapist. His left arm, which was almost severed in the attack, is not fully functioning. 

“The attack on me wasn’t personal, so I don’t feel particularly vulnerable, but, with good reason, I cannot rule it out from happening again. Sometimes, when one man fails in a mission, another takes up the mantle, and, with that in mind, I will probably never fully feel free,” he said.

Head chaplain to the Irish Defence Forces Father Paschal Hanrahan said Murphy is involved in every aspect of ministering to his troops. “He is very much a hands-on padre in terms of working with the troops in every aspect of their lives. He is absolutely revered by them,” he said.

As army chaplain, Murphy has made numerous overseas trips over the past decade, including to Syria and Lebanon to visit Irish troops, and is also centrally involved in organizing Defence Forces involvement in the annual international military pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.

“He would have an incredible reputation among the European militaries because of his involvement in that,” Hanrahan said.

Murphy plans to travel to Lebanon soon with the 126th Infantry Battalion.