Most of us remember when Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was pulled down to the ground at the onset of Midnight Mass or when Pope Francis was pulled onto a disabled man by a group of fanatical Mexicans in Mexico. Well, something far worse (in my opinion) happened to popular Portuguese charismatic priest, Father Marcelo Rossi. During a closing Mass for a youth retreat attended by over 50,000 Catholics, mostly youth; a woman passed through security and stepped up to the stage set up for Mass and shoved Father Rossi of it. The entire thing was caught on video as it was being live-streamed. Fr. Rossi can be seen flying in the air and the sound of him impacting the ground can be heard followed by the sounds of a shocked audience.
There is still no known motive for the attack thought atheist blogger, Hemant Mehta who goes by the moniker "Friendly Atheist" claims the priest said that "Fat women don't get into heaven" and this triggered the attack. Again, there is no evidence for this as the motive and the claim seems to be an attempt to garner blog hits by Mehta who is known for being dishonest.
The woman is a 32-year-old who was also a participant in the retreat. Her fellow youth group member explained to the police that she suffers from mental illness. Father Rossi was not seriously hurt and will not be pressing charges against the woman. The incident brings into question the security at the venue and the reality of mental illness which is rampant in many cities around the glove. People suffering from mental illness often go undiagnosed or are not helped. They then have mental illness spells which can be dangerous for others and for the mentally ill person.
Fr. Rossi was a physical education instructor prior to being ordained in 1994. He is a well-known singer and author and is seen is a pop culture icon in Brazil. However, the priest has offended some in the LGBTQ community for comments calling homosexuality a mental illness and attacking so-called same-sex marriage.
Source:
https://g1.globo.com/sp/vale-do-paraiba-regiao/noticia/2019/07/14/fiel-empurra-padre-marcelo-rossi-de-palco-durante-missa-em-cachoeira-paulista-veja-video.ghtml
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-marcelo-rossi-pushed-off-stage-brazil-thousands-20190715-tffweatk7jhcna6ue7on3bh4gm-story.html
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/07/15/a-woman-assaulted-a-brazilian-priest-while-he-spoke-to-an-audience-of-thousands/
https://www.newsweek.com/father-marcelo-rossi-catholic-priest-pushed-stage-cancao-nova-live-broadcast-viral-video-1449250
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/woman-pushes-priest-stage-during-18262321
https://twitter.com/diarioelpopular/status/1150608424054317057
http://diario1.com/mundo/video-feligres-empuja-a-sacerdote-por-decir-que-las-gordas-no-van-al-cielo/
https://www.lalucedimaria.it/don-marcello-aggredito-donna-durante-messa-video/
https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/brasil/2019/07/15/interna-brasil,770992/fiel-relata-como-foi-ataque-ao-padre-marcelo-rossi-durante-missa-em-sp.shtml
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