The Roman Catholic bishop of Kamloops, B.C., is in hospital after suffering a vicious beating at the rectory of the local church.
Monsignor Jerry Desmond said Bishop David Monroe was found bleeding and unconscious on the floor of his residence next to Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The monsignor said 69-year-old Bishop Monroe was assaulted when he answered the door at about 10 p.m. Friday night.
Bishop Monroe was apparently attacked with a blunt object, Father Desmond said.
He said Bishop Monroe's head and face remained swollen Saturday and he was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“I anointed him about midnight last night, so about two hours after the beating. He did not recognize me and his face was very swollen.”
He said a priest heard Bishop Monroe yelling and rushed downstairs to help but slipped and dislocated his shoulder.
The priest and the bishop were taken to hospital.
Praying for the bishop and the priest...
UPDATE:
Investigators said the suspect’s family was extremely co-operative. Earlier in the evening, family members had taken the suspect to the hospital over concerns that he was experiencing a psychotic episode. The suspect smashed a window at about 8:50 p.m. as he was leaving the hospital, said Wilson.
The suspect is not known to police and investigators say there’s nothing to suggest he knew Monroe, said Wilson.
