VANCOUVER – A Catholic bishop from Kamloops, B.C. says his faith in God was not shaken, even as he struggled to breathe following an attack at his home one year ago.
“No. Not at all,” said David Monroe, when asked if his faith in God was challenged.
“I didn’t ever feel uncomfortable with him. I had no idea what was going to be the outcome of that evening. It was never sort of a negative feeling toward him.”
Monroe was found bleeding and unconscious on the floor of his residence next to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Oct. 22, 2010.
Msgr. Jerry Desmond said at the time that Monroe was assaulted when he answered the door and was apparently attacked with a blunt object.
Monroe was hospitalized for 55 days following the attack.
This past February, a Kamloops court found John Bandura not criminally responsible for the attack due to a mental disorder.
Monroe said he believes the power of prayer actually saved him.
“People have been so good,” he said. “They themselves will say it is through the prayer.”
Bandura is currently being held at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
This past April, the B.C. Review Board ruled Bandura could take unsupervised visits into the community as well as overnight stays of up to four weeks.
Monroe said he’s not sure if he’ll attend his attacker’s next assessment hearing in November, but he said he and Bandura have written each other.
He said he’d also like to meet his attacker.
(CKNW AM980, The Canadian Press, CHNL)
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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