Wounded Catholic priest in Poland calls to forgive Ukrainian attacker

Catholic priest Adrian. Photo: svazpn.cz

Fr. Adrian, a Catholic priest wounded in the attack, addressed parishioners for the first time since the tragedy in Jarosław, Poland, in which one priest was killed and four other people were injured. He delivered the homily during an evening service on September 26, 2026, a video of which was later published online.

On the morning of Thursday, September 24, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen armed with a knife entered the abbey and attacked five people – three priests and two laypeople. Fr. Stanisław, 67, died from his wounds, while Fr. Marek Pieńkowski, director of the Christian center, remains hospitalized in critical condition. The attacker was detained at the scene. Prosecutors charged him with murder, attempted murder, and causing grievous bodily harm, noting that he exhibited pronounced psychotic symptoms. A court ordered him held until December 23, 2026, in a high-security psychiatric facility. The motive for the attack has not yet been established.

Fr. Adrian appeared before the faithful with his head bandaged, a bruise under one eye, and his arm in a sling. “I won’t hide the fact that this homily is difficult for me... But one thing I know for certain: I am a disciple of Jesus Christ,” he said at the microphone.

The priest continued: “On my own behalf, on behalf of Fr. Marek, and on behalf of Fr. Stanisław, I want to say firmly: we forgive. I ask you to pray for the person who harmed us and ask for the grace of repentance for him, because the evil that happened here must be overcome with good and forgiveness.”

A central message of the homily was an appeal not to blame Ukrainians as a people, amid tensions between Poles and Ukrainians. According to Polish police data, 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainian citizens were recorded in the first half of 2026 – 30% more than during the same period in 2025.

“The evil was committed by a specific person who is responsible for his actions. It was not done by other people – it was one individual,” the priest stressed. He also recalled the assistance the abbey has provided to Ukrainian refugees since the beginning of the war.

As the UOJ reported, a Ukrainian man armed with a knife attacked a Roman Catholic monastery in Poland, killing one priest.

That same evening, after Fr. Adrian delivered his homily, a silent march was held in Jarosław. According to eyewitnesses, at least 500 people took part, including children and elderly residents. The procession went from the Market Square to the abbey, and at the monument to Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, participants also prayed for the attacker.

The march organizer, right-wing politician Marcin Kowalski, has already announced another rally for October 10, which he said would be more radical and would include demands for changes to migration policy. Church hierarchs, led by Archbishop Adam Szal of Przemyśl, called for calm, stressing that the crime was committed by one individual and warning against growing hatred toward the Ukrainian community in Poland.

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