You have to watch this "Viral footage" showing a woman, who had been listening from the audience, suddenly launch herself at the priest who goes flying off the stage.
It was first reported that she was reacting after telling worshippers that ‘fat women don’t go to heaven’, according to Diario 1. But later reports said this was not the case but that she was suffering with mental health issues.
Priest gets Eliminated by a woman Mid-Sermon... pic.twitter.com/knQ2244Vnq
— Fight Haven (@FightHaven) March 27, 2023
Reports have identified the priest as Marcelo Rossi a well known religious figure in the country who is said to have been left uninjured. (Thank god? heh)
Although the priest is not heard making the statement during the short clip, some reports say he allegedly made the comment prior to the woman’s attack. Around 50,000 worshipers are seen standing up from their seats in shock as the priest dramatically tumbles down the stage stairs onto the floor.
According to ABC Noticias, the woman’s friends informed the police following the incident that she had mental health concerns. The incident took place during a religious event in the area of Cachoeira Paulista, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The church said on Twitter that Rossi continued with the sermon as the woman was arrested, reported ABC Noticias.
A statement read: ‘The father has suffered an attack during mass. We pray for him. ‘Fortunately, the religious man has not suffered considerable injuries and was able to continue with the mass.’
In a short statement, Canção Nova said it regretted the incident, adding: “The priest is well. He was attended by the medical staff at the event and presided over the celebration to the end.” In a short video after the mass, the priest said he just suffered some pain but nothing was broken.
Veja, a Brazilian news magazine based in São Paulo, reported that Rossi referenced the attack after returning the stage. “It hurt, but pay close attention. I was just going to talk about pain but I did not imagine it was going to be like this,” the priest said, according to the outlet.
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, paid his own respects to the fallen priest on his Twitter account, writing: “All our solidarity with Father Marcelo Rossi. God looks [over] Brazil.” As reported by the Diário de Notícias newspaper, Rossi obtained a degree in Physical Education from the University of São Paulo in 1988 and was ordained as a priest back in 1994.
As previously reported, he has amassed a loyal cabal of youthful followers and is also a bestselling author, lucratively selling millions of books.
