The Catholic Church in Poland is in a state of shock after a diocesan priest confessed to the violent murder of a homeless man, which allegedly involved an axe and the victim being set on fire while still alive.
As a result, the Archbishop of Warsaw has called on all priests in his diocese to undertake personal penance and prayer in reparation for the crime and loss of life.
The victim, a 68-year-old homeless man, was found dead in the village of Lasopole in the Mazowieckie province, reports OSV News.
It adds that according to the Radom District Prosecutor’s Office, the crime was committed by a 60-year-old parish priest from a local village and that the motive behind the crime was a dispute over housing arrangements as part of a "donation deal" between the two men.
Prosecutors allege that the priest and the victim, who had previously signed a donation agreement with the priest – thereby transferring a property to the cleric who had pledged lifelong care for the man in exchange for the property– got into a heated argument while driving along a rural road.
The argument apparently arose over where the victim would subsequently be relocated as part of the donation agreement. During the argument, the priest allegedly struck the man with an axe and then set him on fire while he was still alive, OSV News reports.
Police were alerted at around 10:20 p.m. local time on 24 July after a cyclist discovered the burning body. Investigators quickly identified the suspect through license plate numbers, leading them to the parish rectory. A counter-terrorism unit carried out the arrest due to the priest's possession of firearms as a licensed hunter.
The suspect has confessed to the crime, according to prosecutors. OSV News reports that authorities plan to upgrade the charges to "murder with exceptional cruelty" – if convicted, the priest faces life imprisonment.
Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw released a statement on 25 July addressing the crime; he also acknowledged his moral responsibility for what had happened as head of the Catholic Church in Warsaw.
“I have no words of comfort for you today, let alone any explanation or justification,” wrote Archbishop Galbas. “I am devastated and crushed by the news that one of my priests has brutally murdered a man – a poor and homeless man.
“As bishop of the Church in Warsaw, I feel morally responsible for everything that happens in this Church – both the good and the bad. Also for this terrible crime. I apologise to you,” he wrote.
The archbishop also made clear that the Archdiocese of Warsaw will cooperate fully with law enforcement and initiate all necessary canonical procedures. Addressing the clergy of his diocese, he called for acts of personal penance and reparation.
“I ask all the priests of the Archdiocese of Warsaw to undertake personal penance and prayer of reparation starting today,” Archbishop Galbas stated. “This Sunday, let us do this communally – after every Holy Mass throughout the Archdiocese.
“The blood of our murdered brother cries out to God. Let us beg God for forgiveness – and beg forgiveness from people. I myself beg for it.”
The archbishop also asked Catholics to pray for the soul of the deceased and his family.
.jpg)
