A priest has died and four other people were left injured following a knife attack at a monastery in Poland. Police rushed to the Benedictine Sisters Monastery in Jarosław, southeastern Poland, at around 9.30am local time on Thursday, as five people were stabbed.
Victims and Detention
Three of the victims were members of the clergy and two were laypeople, according to prosecutors. One of the priests, named as Stanisław Zbojnowicz, died after suffering a stab wound to the chest. A 31-year-old Ukrainian man was detained following the incident, with police investigating the circumstances and a possible motive.
Bozena Harasz-Woloszyn, from the District Prosecutor's Office in Przemysl, said: "Three of the victims are clergy members and two are laypeople; one person has died." She added: "Two people are in a critical, life-threatening condition."
Hospital Response and Community Reaction
All five victims were taken to hospital following the attack, with three of the men initially reported to have suffered serious injuries. Another priest, Marek Pieńkowski, was undergoing surgery after suffering multiple stab wounds to his chest and lower extremities.
Rzeszów Cathedral said the community had been left "filled with great sadness" following the attack. Sister Barbara Dendor told Polish state broadcaster TVP Info: "We are aware that Father Stanislaw has passed away and Father Marek is in serious condition; there are other casualties, but we do not have further details." Describing the scene when she arrived, she added: "When I arrived, there was total panic; young people who had come out of the centre witnessed it - they were saying, 'Some madman, some madman!'"
Official Statements and Aftermath
The attack was reported to have unfolded around the church cafeteria and the Church of St Nicholas and St Stanislaus the Bishop, which stands within the monastery grounds. Marcin Kierwiński, Poland's interior minister, described what happened as "tragic". He wrote on X: "Tragic events in Jarosław. A Ukrainian citizen was immediately detained by police after an attack on five people. The services are investigating the motives and circumstances of the incident."
Jarosław mayor Marcin Nazarewicz said crisis management procedures had been activated, while schools in the area were being secured. He also announced a period of mourning in the city until the end of the week. Police remained at the scene as forensic teams gathered evidence and authorities cordoned off the area surrounding the monastery.
The Benedictine Sisters Monastery dates back to 1611 and is home to the Church of St Nicholas and St Stanislaus Bishop, which was constructed between 1614 and 1624. The historic site was damaged during the Second World War before later being rebuilt.
