Ukrainian man stabs five at Catholic monastery in Poland, killing priest

Сhurch at the Benedictine Abbey in Jarosław. Photo: Darek Delmanowicz/PAP

On September 24, 2026, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen carried out a knife attack on Catholic clergy and parishioners at a Benedictine convent complex in Jarosław, in Poland’s Subcarpathian Voivodeship, RMF24 reports.

According to law enforcement officials, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the attacker took advantage of the monastery’s open gates following a visit by a group of young people. After entering the grounds of the 17th-century monastery, which houses a pilgrimage center, the man began stabbing people at random.

Five people were wounded in the attack: one woman and four men, three of whom were Catholic priests. All five victims were hospitalized, but one of the priests died from his injuries. Doctors describe the condition of two other victims as extremely critical.

Children who were inside the monastery and at the kindergarten on its grounds were unharmed.

Police detained the attacker at the scene and seized the murder weapon. Authorities identified the suspect as a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen. His motive remains unknown.

Police and prosecutors are conducting an investigation at the scene. In response to the tragedy, Jarosław Mayor convened a meeting of the crisis management team, attended by Subcarpathian Voivode Teresa Kubas-Hul.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Polish police had detained a Ukrainian man for attacking a Catholic nun.

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