Priest killed, four wounded in knife attack at Polish abbey

A priest was killed and four other people were wounded in a knife attack at a Catholic abbey in southeastern Poland on Thursday morning, prompting calls from Polish and Ukrainian leaders for a thorough investigation and punishment under the law.

Police arrested a 31-year-old Ukrainian man after the attack in Jarosław. The motive remains unclear. Polish police said four men and one woman were stabbed on the abbey grounds; the dead priest’s name has not been publicly released.

Prosecutor Bozena Harasz-Wołoszyn said three of the five victims were clergy members and two were laypeople. Two of the injured were in “critical, life-threatening condition,” she said, according to Al Jazeera.

Accounts of how the attack unfolded differ. The BBC reported that Polish media said the attacker first injured a priest in a nearby cafe, then attacked four more people inside the abbey. Al Jazeera reported that the suspect grabbed a knife from the abbey’s kitchen and attacked people there, including a priest in a confessional. Authorities have not established a motive.

According to Al Jazeera, the suspect had entered Poland from Germany earlier that day. Prosecutors said he had been heading toward a nearby border crossing into Ukraine but went to the abbey instead. Doctors will assess whether he was under the influence of alcohol, Harasz-Wołoszyn said. Al Jazeera described the site as a 17th-century Benedictine abbey about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the attack “has shaken us all and demands a firm response from the state.” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the perpetrator “will be punished with the full severity of Polish law.” Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said psychological support was being provided to those affected, the BBC reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the stabbing a “horrific crime” and said, “We are shocked by this evil.” He said the perpetrator must bear full responsibility under the law and that Ukraine was counting on “a quick and thorough investigation of all circumstances.”

The Ukrainian embassy in Poland also condemned the attack. “In such difficult moments, it is especially important to support each other, remain steadfast in respect for human life, and not allow pain to escalate into hatred or new violence,” it said in a statement. “Responsibility for a crime must be based solely on the law.”

Jarosław Mayor Marcin Nazarewicz declared a period of mourning through the end of the week, according to Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Poland has recently seen a number of sometimes violent incidents involving Polish citizens and Ukrainians, many of whom fled Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.