Over 70% of the Population is Catholic
Argument Over Living Arrangements After Property Donation
Victim Dies During Hospital Treatment
In Poland, where over 70% of the population is Catholic, an active priest has been arrested on charges of brutally murdering a civilian who had donated property to the church. On July 27, Yonhap News, citing PAP News Agency and others, reported that Polish investigators had apprehended Catholic priest Miroslaw M (60) on suspicion of murder. The priest is accused of stabbing a 68-year-old male victim with a sharp weapon during an altercation inside a car on July 24, then pouring gasoline on him and setting him on fire.
Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw leading the Corpus Christi procession in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Investigations revealed that the priest and the victim were arguing inside the car about the victim’s future place of residence. The victim had donated his property to the church and had been living homeless; in exchange for his donation, he was supposed to receive housing and other support. After committing the crime, the priest saw a bicycle approaching the scene, drove away from the site, and fled. It was reported that the person on the bicycle discovered the victim engulfed in flames and called the authorities.
The victim was still alive when found on a road in the village of Hinow south of Warsaw, but died during hospital treatment. Investigators tracked the suspect by following the vehicle’s route and obtained a confession. Aneta Guscic, spokesperson for the Radom District Prosecutor’s Office in charge of the case, stated, "The autopsy showed that the victim suffered burns on 80% of his body and sustained a head injury from a heavy, bladed object."
The prosecution obtained a three-month detention warrant for the priest and upgraded the charge to "murder with particular cruelty." Under Polish criminal law, serial murders or murders committed with extreme cruelty are punishable by 25 years to life imprisonment. This is equivalent to first-degree murder in the United States, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
This incident has left the Catholic population of Poland in shock. Adrian Galbas, Archbishop of Warsaw, said in a statement to the archdiocese, "Please pray for the victim and his family," adding, "I am deeply shocked by this crime and will actively cooperate with the authorities." Archbishop Galbas also stated that he had requested the Vatican to expel the suspect from the priesthood. According to the Associated Press, "This is the most severe punishment that can be imposed on clergy under canon law."
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