SINGAPORE, Nov 10 — A Roman Catholic priest was stabbed while saying mass inside a church in Singapore yesterday, police said, but added they did not think it was an act of terrorism.

The priest was sent to hospital, but was in a "stable condition”, while his Singaporean attacker was arrested, police said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Singapore is one of Asia’s safest cities and violent crimes such as stabbings or shootings are extremely rare.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that a 57-year-old man, who is a priest at the church, was stabbed during mass,” police said.

The attacker was "disarmed by members of the congregation and subsequently arrested by police officers,” the statement said.

"Based on the preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted alone and the police do not suspect that this is an act of terrorism, for now.”

The attacker, a 37-year-old member of the local Sinhalese community, had previously declared himself as a Christian, it added.

"Such violence, of any form and for any reason, has absolutely no place in Singapore, let alone at a place of worship,” Edwin Tong, the Second Minister for Law, said on Facebook. — AFP