Nationwide outrage has gripped Poland after a 60-year-old parish priest admitted to brutally killing a 68-year-old man with an axe and setting him on fire while he was still alive.
The escort of a 60-year-old parish priest from east-central Poland to the prosecutor’s office. The clergymen had confessed to the murder of 68-year-old acquaintance with exeptional cruelty – striking him with an axe and setting him on fire while he was still alive – following a dispute over a property the priest had previously taken.Photo: PAP/Piotr Polak
Prosecutors say the attack took place in Lasopole, near Grójec in east-central Poland, following a dispute over an apartment that the priest – Mirosław M., from the parish in Przypki, Mazovia – had previously taken over from the victim, Anatol Cz.
Polish priest hacked man with axe, set him on fire while alive
The killing occurred on Thursday evening. At around 10:20 p.m., a passing cyclist reported a burning body lying near the roadside. The witness also spotted a parked SUV nearby that suddenly drove off without headlights. The license plate number he provided led investigators to the parish house in the nearby village of Przypki.
Police quickly identified the local priest, a licensed gun owner and hunting enthusiast, as the suspect. He later confessed to the crime.
According to prosecutors, Mirosław M. struck the victim, whom he knew personally, several times in the head with an axe, doused his body with a flammable liquid, and set him on fire while he was still alive. He then reportedly watched the man burn from inside his vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The fatal confrontation is believed to have occurred during a drive together. At the center of the conflict was a property transfer agreement under which Anatol Cz. had gifted his apartment to the priest in exchange for lifelong care.
Mirosław M. is facing life in prison for committing murder with exceptional cruelty. Warsaw Metropolitan Archbishop Adrian Galbas has formally asked the Vatican to remove him from the clerical state.
Church in Poland responds as local community mourns
News of the horrific crime has deeply shaken Poland. On Sunday, July 27, a special mass was held at the parish where Mirosław M. had served. It was led by Bishop Rafał Markowski, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Warsaw (and brother of Grzegorz Markowski, frontman of the iconic Polish rock band Perfect).
During the service, Bishop Markowski sought to comfort the community and acknowledged the pain and confusion caused by the tragedy. He described the priest’s actions as “incomprehensible and beyond understanding” and announced that a new priest would soon be appointed to take over pastoral duties in the parish.
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