A priest from Wrocław was stabbed with a knife. The police informed that the suspect was detained. The wounded clergyman was taken to a hospital where he underwent a surgery.
The incident took place on Monday morning. Shortly after entering the Blessed Virgin Mary Church on Piasek island, the priest was attacked with a knife.
Police: talk first, attack second
The spokesperson for Lower Silesian police, Krzysztof Zaporowski confirmed that such indident took place. "According to initial findings, it appears that the priest talked to the attacked before being stabbed. The perpetrator was detained shortly after the attack," Zaporowski said.
The parson of the parish where the attack took place commented on the course of the incident. "The perpetrator was caught by a passerby. The man wasn't really trying to escape but rather was walking away," Father Grzegorz Michalski said. He added that the suspect wasn't saying anything when they waited for the police to arrive.
The 57-year-old was taken to one Wrocław's precincts. The officers secured the knife that the man used. The investigators refused to comment on the man's condition and what was his motive.
"Serious injuries, stable condition"
The clergyman was taken to a hospital. According to Monika Kowalska, the spokesperson for the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław, the wounded priest was in a stable condition. "As far as we know, the victim underwent a surgery," said Karolina Stocka-Mycek from Prosecutor's Office for Wrocław-Śródmieście. This was confirmed later by the doctors: "He was brought in a stable condition with a stab wound between his chest and abdominal cavity. The injuries are serious but he's in a stable condition," said Doctor Goutam Chourasia. He added that the patient's lung was also wounded.
About 1 pm, the hospital spokesperson informed that the priest "took the surgery well", his condition was stable and his life weren't at risk. "The surgeons treated all internal injuries both in the chest and abdomen cavity areas," Kowalska said.
Peaceful, hard-working, humble
"Father Ireneusz works for the curia as a notary. He's practically responsible for the whole curia secretariat. He also serves the faithful of the Traditional Latin Mass, in other words, those who pray under the so-called Tridentine Mass (mass carried out in latin)," said Father Rafał Kowalski, the spokesman for the Wrocław Archdiocese. He added that he knows the attacked priest personally. "He's a very peaceful, definitely very peaceful man, hard-working, quiet and humble," said Father Kowalski.
"Attack on a man in cassock"
The motive of the perpetrator is still unknown. Prosecutor Stocka-Mycek informed in the afternoon that the suspect is a homeless person. It also remains unknown when the man will be questioned by the prosecutors. "We're still waiting for an opinion from medical jurisprudence expert regarding the victim's injuries. Any firther decisions will be taken only after the opinion has been issued," she said.
A group of faithful gathered in front of the church to pray for the priest. Among them was Rafał, the priest's childhood friend. "We were both altar boys. I remember him as being very pious. I cannot believe that anyone would want to attack him for anything," the man said.
"I'm afraid that it's very probable that it wasn't a personal attack on a particular priest but rather an attack a man in cassock," said the spokesman for archdiocese. He added: "It's very likely that if any one of us was there at the time, we would be the victims of this attack".
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24 Wrocław | D. Rudnicki