Priest Miroslaw W was travelling with his friend of 20 years, homeless Anatol Cz, when prosecutors allege the pair had an argument that sparked a rage in the Catholic priest
A priest allegedly chopped a homeless man in the head with an axe before setting him on fire and leaving him to die.
The priest, from Poland, who has only been identified as Miroslaw M – in keeping with Polish law – is said to have had an argument with the rough sleeping victim, Anatol Cz, while the pair were travelling together near Grójec in eastern Poland.
Prosecutor Aneta Góźdź alleged the 60-year-old priest hit the victim in the head with an axe repeatedly, before dousing him in flammable liquid and setting him alight. She then claimed he fled the scene in his car. The 68-year-old victim was found covered in flames but still alive, Radom prosecutor Góźdź said in a recent statement.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, with a fire crew, police and paramedics all in attendance. However, despite their best efforts, he could not be saved and died at the scene.
“An autopsy showed that the victim suffered burns covering 80 per cent of his body and head injuries caused by a sharp-edged heavy object,” Góźdź said. She added: “The victim died as a result of burns and head injuries.”
On Friday, the priest was taken into custody and charged with murder “with particular cruelty”. He faces between 15 years and life in prison if convicted.
A search of his rectory premises was carried out, with Grójec district and provincial police also securing his vehicle for further inspection.
The prosecutor said the priest has confessed to the murder, and has provided further detail about his motive, and his relationship to the deceased.
He said that he and the victim, with whom he’d been friends for 20 years, drove together to Lasopole. While on the way, they discussed his accommodation, which was when the victim allegedly demanded the priest provide him somewhere to stay.
“The two men were bound by a donation agreement, under which Mirosław M. committed to providing lifetime assistance and care for the victim”, the prosecutor added.
The Polska Agencja Prasowa news agency reported that the row was about where he would live.
The priest has been remanded into custody ahead of his trial, which is due to happen in around three months. Warsaw Archbishop Adrian Galbas on Saturday requested the Holy See to dismiss the priest from the priesthood, the highest penalty in canon law for a cleric.
In a statement to the archdiocese on Friday, Warsaw Archbishop Adrian Galbas called for prayers for the victim and his family. He also made a request to the Holy See for the suspect to stripped of his priestly orders.