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The Catholic Church in Poland was shaken last week by the news of a gruesome crime involving one of its clergymen. A 60-year-old parish priest confessed to brutally murdering a homeless man, attacking him with an axe and setting the body alight. In response, the Archbishop of Warsaw, Adrian Joseph Galbas, has asked the Vatican to remove the priest from the priesthood.
The request represents the highest canonical penalty and has been directed to Vatican authorities to initiate proceedings under the provisions of Canon 1397, which mandates dismissal from the clerical state for a cleric found guilty of homicide or kidnapping.
A statement released by the Archdiocese on 26 July said that “due to the gravity of the crime and the great public outrage, the Metropolitan of Warsaw, Archbishop Adrian Galbas, immediately requests the Holy See to impose the highest penalty provided for in canon law for a cleric: dismissal from the priesthood.”
Prosecutors have formally charged the suspect, identified only as Mirosław M. under Polish privacy law, with homicide characterised by particular cruelty. The victim, a 68-year-old homeless man, was found dead in the village of Lasopole in the Mazowieckie province. If convicted, the priest could face a prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life.
Investigators revealed that the priest had previously signed a contract with the victim, pledging to provide him with care and accommodation for the rest of his life in exchange for the transfer of the man’s property to the clergyman. On the night of 24 July, as the priest was driving the man through a rural part of central Poland, an argument erupted over future housing arrangements under the agreement.
During the altercation, the priest allegedly struck the victim on the head with an axe, then doused him in a flammable liquid and set him on fire while he was still alive. An autopsy showed that the man sustained severe head wounds and burns over 80 per cent of his body.
In a message to the faithful the day after the murder, Archbishop Galbas said he had no words of comfort, explanation or justification. He stated that as bishop of the Church in Warsaw, he felt morally responsible for everything that happened in the archdiocese and issued a public apology.
The Archbishop also made clear that the Archdiocese of Warsaw would cooperate fully with law enforcement and initiate all necessary canonical procedures. He addressed the clergy of his diocese, calling for acts of personal penance and reparation, and requested that every parish pray after Mass for the victim and his family.
Catholic priests are laicised only for the most serious of crimes, most commonly in connection with sexual abuse. The most recent example came in 2024, when the Vatican laicised a Portuguese priest more than 30 years after he had been convicted of murdering a minor.
The Archbishop’s request will initiate proceedings, but an outcome is not expected immediately.
