This is the funeral of Fr. Stanislaw, a priest who was stabbed on September 24, just minutes before celebrating Mass. It took place at the Benedictine Abbey in Jarosław, in southeastern Poland, where he served as a confessor.
The attacker stormed into the church armed with a knife. Not only did he take the life of this priest, but he also left four others wounded, two parishioners and two clergymen. One of these priests, Fr. Marek, is still fighting for his life in the hospital.
The other priest, Fr. Adrián, was seen like this, bandaged and with bruises. He said this during his first Mass:
FR ADRIAN MANTYKIEWICZ
Injured priest
But I ask you in a special way to pray for our tormentor and for the grace of conversion for him. These words I speak come from the depths of my heart. He needs this prayer the most, no matter what has happened. We must overcome the evil that has occurred here, in our abbey, with goodness, love, and forgiveness.
A few hours later, police arrested the alleged attacker: a 31-year-old Ukrainian man. Experts noted that he was showing symptoms of a psychotic disorder.
FR ADRIAN MANTYKIEWICZ
Injured priest
And I would also like to take this opportunity to ask you not to blame the nation from which the perpetrators came. Because the evil was committed by a specific person—a specific individual who has a name, a life, and who is accountable for his actions.
Following the incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned what had happened.
