Two days after surviving a knife attack that killed a fellow priest, Fr Adrian Mantykiewicz returned to the altar at the Benedictine sisters’ abbey in Jaroslaw, Poland, with a message focused on forgiveness. Source: OSV News.
“As a disciple of Jesus Christ, in my own name, in Fr Marek’s name and in Fr Stanislaw’s name, I want to say very clearly that we forgive,” Fr Mantykiewicz said during a Mass on Saturday at the Jaroslaw abbey in a homily that has since gone viral in Poland, sparking thousands of reactions from politicians, clergy and other users on social media.
It was the first Mass celebrated at the abbey after the September 24 attack, in which five people were stabbed. Fr Stanislaw Zbojniewicz died from his injuries.
Fr Mantykiewicz was treated and released from the hospital the same day. The abbey said on Friday that Fr Marek Pienkowski remained hospitalised in serious but stable condition.
“In a special way, I ask you to pray for our attacker and for the grace of conversion for him,” Fr Mantykiewicz said. “I say these words from the depths of my heart. He needs this prayer most of all.”
“Whatever happened, the evil that took place here in our abbey, we must overcome with goodness, love and forgiveness,” he said.
The suspect in the attack is a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen. Fr Mantykiewicz directly addressed the danger of allowing one man’s crime to become a reason for hostility toward Ukrainians living in Poland.
“I also want to ask you not to blame the nation from which the attacker came, because the evil was committed by a specific person,” he said. “A specific person, who has his own name, his own life and is responsible for his own actions. Other people did not do this. It was one person.”
He urged those listening not to “respond to evil with evil,” but with “love, support, understanding and care.”
“I ask you to respect the people who live in our abbey, in our city, in our province and in our country,” he said. “I ask you to respect and support one another as two brotherly nations.”
Prosecutors have drawn up charges against the suspect, identified as Ihor M., including murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutors said psychiatric experts found that he was experiencing acute psychotic symptoms that prevent him from participating in procedural actions.
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Polish priest wounded in stabbing returns to altar with message of forgiveness (By Katarzyna Szalajko, OSV News)
