The archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, has requested the Vatican to defrock a priest charged with the killing of a 68-year-old homeless man who was crushed with an axe and set on fireplace
WARSAW, Poland — The archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, has requested the Vatican to defrock a priest charged with the killing of a 68-year-old homeless man who was crushed with an axe and set on fireplace.
Prosecutors on Saturday charged the priest, solely recognized as Mirosław M. consistent with Polish privateness guidelines, with homicide with specific cruelty. He’s being detained forward of a trial and faces 15 years to life behind bars.
Investigators say the priest and the sufferer, Anatol Cz., have been collectively in a automobile late Thursday when an argument broke out, in accordance with Aneta Góźdź, a spokesperson for the Radom District Prosecutor’s Workplace.
The battle stemmed from a donation settlement the place the priest had agreed to supply lifelong help and take care of the person, Góźdź mentioned in an announcement. The argument escalated over the homeless man’s future housing.
The priest allegedly struck the sufferer on the top with an axe, doused him in flammable liquid and set him on fireplace, the spokesperson mentioned. The priest then drove away when he noticed a bicycle gentle approaching.
The bicyclist discovered the sufferer engulfed in flames and referred to as for first responders, Góźdź mentioned.
“An post-mortem confirmed that the sufferer suffered burns masking 80% of his physique and head accidents attributable to a sharp-edged heavy object,” Góźdź mentioned.
Warsaw Archbishop Adrian Galbas on Saturday requested the Holy See to dismiss the priest from the priesthood, the very best penalty in canon legislation for a cleric.
The Vatican didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.