Polish priest 'burns homeless man alive in the street after attacking him with an axe after row over finding victim somewhere to live'
The priest, only identified as Miroslaw M. in line with Polish privacy rules, is believed to have clashed with victim Anatol Cz. while driving near Grójec late on Thursday before attacking him and fleeing the scene.
Aneta Góźdź, a spokesperson for the Radom District Prosecutor's Office, said the priest, 60, struck the victim with an axe 'several times', doused him in flammable liquid and set him on fire before driving away.
A cyclist found the victim, 68, still alive and engulfed in flames before calling for help, Góźdź said in the most recent statement, published on Saturday.
Four fire brigade teams, police and an ambulance were mobilised to help save the man, Polish channel TVP 3 reported. Despite their efforts, the victim died.
Officers received a report of a man on fire in the village of Lasopole in the Chynów commune south of Warsaw on Thursday at around 10pm, arriving to discover the body.
'An autopsy showed that the victim suffered burns covering 80 per cent of his body and head injuries caused by a sharp-edged heavy object,' Góźdź said, adding: 'The victim died as a result of burns and head injuries.'
The priest was arrested on Friday and subsequently charged with 'murder with particular cruelty'. He is being detained ahead of a trial and faces 15 years to life behind bars.
Officers from the District Police Headquarters in Grójec and the Provincial Police Headquarters in Radom carried out a search and an examination of the rectory premises before the victim's vehicle was secured for further examination.
The priest admitted to the crime and discussed his relationship to the victim and his motives, according to the prosecutor.
When questioned, he did not deny that he and his friend of 20 years had traveled in their car to Lasopole, where they discussed the victim's accommodation and its location.
'The victim demanded the provision of this accommodation,' Góźdź said.
'The two men were bound by a donation agreement, under which Mirosław M. committed to providing lifetime assistance and care for the victim.'
The argument was said to concern 'the choice of a place for the homeless man to live', the Polska Agencja Prasowa news agency reported.
The District Court in Grójec on Saturday ordered the pretrial detention of the man for three months on suspicion of murder.
Warsaw Archbishop Adrian Galbas on Saturday requested the Holy See to dismiss the priest from the priesthood, the highest penalty in canon law for a cleric.
In a statement to the archdiocese on Friday, Galbas asked for Catholics to pray for the victim and his loved ones.
The archbishop said he was 'devastated' by the crime and pledged to cooperate with investigators.
He asked for forgiveness for this 'horrible crime' in a statement read during Sunday Mass in his archdiocese, adding: 'As Bishop of the Church of Warsaw, I feel morally responsible for what is happening in this church, both good and bad.'
'I am devastated and shocked by the news that one of my priests brutally murdered a poor and homeless person.
'I have no words of comfort for you today, much less an explanation or justification.'
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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