A priest has been attacked while praying alone in a pew at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

The clergyman, who hasn't been named, was approached by a man who asked him if he was a priest.

When he said yes, the man attempted to hit him on the head with a glass bottle before chasing him to the back of the cathedral.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of St Andrew's and Edinburgh, labelled the attack "violent and unprovoked".

A spokesperson said: "The priest managed to fend him off with a chair before the attacker ran out of the Cathedral. The priest escaped without injury.

"Anyone with information is urged to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0823 of Monday 26 July."

No further details have been released by police in connection with the incident at the city-centre cathedral.