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Date Published: 11/11/2024

Monks attacked in violent assault on monastery in Spain

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Three monks remain hospitalised after the brutal attack and one has just been discharged

Monks attacked in violent assault on monastery in Spain

Seven Spanish monks were assualted in a shocking attack on their monastery this Saturday November 2 that left several of them hospitalised after reportedly being beaten with a “historic artefact”.

The attacker is said to have shouted “I am Jesus Christ” as he ran into Santo Espiritu del Monte Monastery in Gilet, northeastern Spain.

The mayor of Gilet, Salva Costa, recounted the events: “A person came in and began to beat the poor friars, room by room, creating a chaotic situation inside the monastery, thanks to the fact that there were no guests in the hostel and only the friars were there.”

The municipal official has explained that they had never seen a situation like this in the Monastery of Santo Espiritu because it is “a place of spirituality”, where many people go, a quiet place where “only seven Franciscan priests live”.

The intruder, a 46-year-old Spanish man who has now been arrested, went from room to room hitting the men with a staff from a historic statue.

The aggressor is also believed to had used a stick and even a glass bottle in the attack.

The intruder escaped by jumping a perimeter fence and was at large for almost 24 hours until police caught him.

Gilet is a 35-minute drive north of Valencia, which is still recovering from catastrophic flooding that killed more than 200 people less than two weeks ago.

A provincial superior said in a statement, “It was with deep surprise and pain that we received the news this morning that a disturbed person had entered the Friary of Santo Espiritu del Monte.”

The mayor himself went to the monastery this Saturday and Sunday to inquire about the situation of the friars. One of the men, 76-year-old Juan Antonio Llorente Espín from the Murcia town of Cehegín, later died in hospital from his injuries.

Detectives “believe the man who did this was suffering mental health issues.”

For more information, news and what’s on in your area visit our homepage at Spanish News Today

Image: Ayuntamiento de Gilet

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