Dublin, Ireland, Aug 11, 2025 / 11:27 am

A 77-year-old parish priest in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, sustained head and hand injuries following a violent attack as he was getting ready to say Sunday morning Mass.

The parish priest of St. Patrick in Downpatrick, Canon John Murray, is in a “serious but stable” condition in the hospital following the Aug. 10 assault in which his fingers were broken while defending himself.

In a separate incident that police believe to be connected to the assault on Murray, a murder inquiry is underway after a man was found dead in a house in the County Down town, RTÉ News reported.

In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said inquiries are ongoing: “At this time, we suspect this may be connected to a serious assault

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