Ankara, Turkey, Dec 17, 2007 / 10:15 am
A Catholic priest was stabbed in the stomach and hospitalized on Sunday, the Associated Press reports, adding to the numbers of Turkish attacks on Catholic clergy in recent years.
Father Adriano Franchini was in the Agean port city of Izmir when a man in his early 20s approached him, saying he wanted information on Christianity. An argument broke out between the two, and the man stabbed the priest. The attacker was later detained by authorities.
An Italian embassy official said the priest was in surgery. He said there was no information on the motive for the attack or its precise details.
Father Franchini heads the Church of St. Mary in nearby Ephesus.