Priest killed, four wounded in knife attack at Benedictine abbey in Jarosław, Poland

Father Stanisław Zbojniewicz was killed and four other people were wounded in a knife attack on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Benedictine Sisters' abbey in Jarosław, in southeastern Poland. OSV News reported that it happened shortly before morning Mass at the Church of St. Nicholas and St. Stanislaus, on the abbey grounds.

Police said four men and one woman were stabbed, the BBC reported. OSV News said they were three priests, including Father Zbojniewicz, and two laypeople. Reports on the survivors' condition differ. On Sept. 25, OSV News quoted the hospital director as saying two priests were in serious condition after surgery. The same day, Polskie Radio quoted prosecutors as saying all four survivors were stable and not in danger.

Police detained a 31-year-old man at the scene. Police said he was a Ukrainian citizen. Prosecutors said the knife came from the abbey kitchen and that they had not established a motive. On Sept. 25, psychiatrists found "severe psychotic symptoms" that ruled out questioning, a prosecutors' spokeswoman said, according to TVP World. Polish outlets reported that prosecutors have drawn up charges of murder, attempted murder and causing serious bodily harm, but cannot formally present them to him yet. On Sept. 26, a Jarosław court ordered him held for three months in a secure hospital unit, Rzeczpospolita reported. Prosecutors said a later expert opinion will assess his mental state at the time of the attack.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the attack "has shaken us all," the BBC reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "we are shocked by this evil" and asked for a thorough investigation. Archbishop Adam Szal of Przemyśl asked parishes to pray on Sept. 26, OSV News reported. He urged Catholics not to let the violence breed "hatred or hostility."