Why this priest forgave the man who burnt his church to the ground

After this Sydney cathedral burnt down, the priest forgave the arsonistDBy Declan BowringABC Radio SydneyTopic:History4m ago4 minutes agoWed 18 Feb 2026 at 10:52pmForty firefighters battled the ferocious blaze. (ABC News)abc.net.au/news/priest-forgives-parramatta-church-arsonist-30-years/106329456Link copiedShareShare articleThirty years ago, parish priest John Boyle left St Patrick's Cathedral in Parramatta to make it to the bank before it closed.John Boyle saw the smoke as he rode in a taxi with a parishioner. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)Little did he know that when he left an hour before it would be the last time he would see inside the original building."The cathedral's on fire — take a last look," Monsignor Boyle remembers telling a parishioner as they rode in a taxi and saw the smoke billowing."We're not going to see it anymore. That's going to burn to the ground."Parishioners watched the church burn down in a matter of minutes. (Supplied)Monsignor Boyle remembers watching the ferocious heat blanch the colour from the stained-glass windows.The church building that had stood since 1936, incorporating a tower built in the 1880s, was gutted in 15 minutes.Forty firefighters from six brigades attempted to save the church on February 19 1996, using 13,500 litres of water a minute, which Monsignor Boyle described as "like fighting the devil with water pistols".The fire cost the church $5 million in damage. (ABC News)Burned into parish memoryThe ferocious blaze caused millions of dollars' worth of damage and destroyed priceless artefacts, including the seat of Sydney's first bishop.Bernadette Fabri, a teacher at the nearby St Patrick's Primary School, was in an after-school meeting on the top floor when she heard the screaming sirens of the fire engines.Bernadette Fabri stood on this corner and watched the fire 30 years ago. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)"Of course there was no way we were going to continue our staff meeting … so we made our way down the street," she said."For us it was more than just the cathedral that belonged to a diocese. It was our school's church."Ms Fabri may have been among the last to see the church before it went up in flames — she had taken students to the church to train as altar servers with Monsignor Boyle an hour before the fire started.Ailsa Mackinnon was the principal of Our Lady of Mercy College, just across the road from the church.Ailsa Mackinnon said a cleaner at her school identified the man responsible. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)Before it was set alight, the same arsonist set a fire inside her school."One of the cleaners came running up to me to say that a man had lit a fire in the school," Sister Mackinnon said."She put it out and she came to tell me that that's what had happened."All of a sudden a whole lot of other staff members came running in from the other staff room to say that the cathedral was on fire."Having seen the man light the fire inside the school, the cleaner recognised him as he watched the cathedral burn from across the road.The cleaner identified the arsonist and police promptly arrested him.Forgiving the arsonistJason Humphries, who started the fire by lighting the large liturgical hangings from the gallery, was later charged over the crime and jailed for four years.Despite the damage he had wreaked, Monsignor Boyle visited Humphries in jail before the trial to tell him that he was forgiven."I had been instructed by the bishop [Bede Heather] to tell him — that is, the arsonist — that he was forgiven," Monsignor Boyle said."The Corrective Services people were very unhappy about my suggestion that I go into the cell and meet him."The Corrective Services said, 'You want to knock his eyes out.'"Monsignor John Boyle felt that forgiving the arsonist was the right thing to do. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)Despite some backlash in the community, Monsignor Boyle said he had to practice forgiveness because it was something he regularly preached."We met a couple of times in jail and I think he was grateful for my visits," he said."I think very rewarding for me to be able to say, 'Look, Jason, you are forgiven.'"The restoration took seven years to complete. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)A modern revivalThe $11.5-million restoration, including an $8.2-million insurance payout and $50,000 from Bob Carr's government, took seven years to complete.Although it was devastating, the fire gave the church an opportunity to increase capacity and add a modern touch.The baptismal font and shallow pool. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)That came courtesy of architect Romaldo Giurgola, who designed the new Parliament House in Canberra.The restored old building now includes a baptismal font that runs into a pool below the floor and is more light-filled than most traditional Catholic churches.More modern designs replaced the traditional windows after the fire. (ABC Radio Sydney: De