Priest stabbed during livestream of morning mass in Canada's largest church

© Roberto Machado Noa  Saint Joseph Oratory Basilica church in Montreal. Building

A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a priest in Montreal was stabbed on Friday during a livestreamed morning mass in Canada's largest church.

Father Claude Grou, 77, the rector of the Saint Joseph's Oratory, was taken to the hospital and is said to be stable condition, according to  the Archdiocese of Montreal.

Authorities responded to call around 8:40 a.m. and witnesses said a man went toward the priest with a sharp object during the daily mass where 50 people were in attendance.

The attack was  captured on a livestream and television broadcast  by the Catholic channel Salt + Light, which publishes the streams shortly after the mass. Authorities have not disclosed whether the footage will be released.

When police arrived the suspect was already detained by church security and the priest was slightly injured on his upper body, Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said.

The suspect was then taken into custody, transported to a detention center and will be interviewed by investigators later today, she said.

"What a horrible and inexcusable gesture that has no place in Montreal." Montreal's mayor Valérie Plante  tweeted.

Grou was not "afraid for his life,"  tweeted Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre, director of communications for the Catholic Church of Quebec.

Saint Joseph's is in Montreal's Mount Royal district and is  Canada's biggest church  after it was officially opened in 1956. It is said to be one of the country's  most popular tourist spots, with 2 million visitors per year.