A Ukrainian attacked him and killed another priest. Fr. Adrian: “Don’t blame the nation the perpetrator comes from”
Two days after the knife attack at the Jarosław Abbey, one of the injured—Fr. Adrian—stood before the faithful. With visible injuries, he spoke about the man who attacked him, about the death of Fr. Stanisław Zbojnowicz, and about Ukrainians. “We forgive,” he said. He also appealed not to transfer the act of one Ukrainian citizen onto the whole nation and not to respond to hatred with hatred
It was Fr. Adrian’s first homily after the events of 24 September.
Just two days earlier, at the Benedictine Sisters’ Abbey in Jarosław, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen attacked five people with a knife. One of them—Fr. Stanisław Zbojnowicz—died as a result of his injuries. Information about the detainee’s nationality and the number of victims was confirmed by the police and the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl.
Fr. Adrian was also injured. After receiving medical assistance, he returned to the Abbey.
Two days after the attack, he stood before the faithful.
On 26 September, the Jarosław Abbey was reopened to the faithful. At 5:30 p.m., the Eucharist for the deceased Fr. Stanisław began. It was presided over by Fr. Adrian.
The clergyman appeared before the faithful with a visible dressing and traces of injuries on his face.
From the very beginning of the homily, he did not hide that speaking was difficult for him. He spoke of the last days as a particularly hard experience. At the same time, he referred to his faith and the teaching of Christ – a love that also embraces enemies.
And it was then that some of the strongest words of that evening were spoken:
Fr. Adrian said this in his own name, as well as in the name of the wounded Fr. Marek and the deceased Fr. Stanisław.
He also asked for prayers for the man who attacked them
The clergyman asked the faithful to pray for Fr. Stanisław, for Fr. Marek, who remains in hospital, and for his own return to health and duties.
But not only that.
He also appealed for prayer for the attacker and his conversion. As he explained, such a prayer is especially needed precisely for the person who has committed evil.
The message of the homily was unambiguous: the tragedy that happened at the Abbey should not give rise to further hatred.
“Let us not repay evil with evil” – appealed Fr. Adrian.
According to the clergyman, the response should be goodness, love, forgiveness, support, and mutual respect.
“Do not blame the nation the perpetrator comes from”
A particularly important part of the homily concerned the detainee’s nationality.
The suspect of carrying out the attack Ihor M. is a citizen of Ukraine. Fr. Adrian, himself one of those harmed in the напад, nevertheless asked the faithful not to transfer responsibility for his act onto all Ukrainians.
“I would also like to ask you not to blame the nation the perpetrator comes from.”
The clergyman emphasized that the evil was committed by a specific person, who has his own name, life, and is responsible for his actions. Other people did not do it.
It was precisely this passage of the homily that resonated particularly strongly after the tragedy in Jarosław.
He recalled the Ukrainians whom the Abbey helped after the outbreak of the war
Fr. Adrian also returned to the events after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He recalled that at that time Ukrainians in need of help were coming to the Abbey, and the local community was getting involved in supporting them. The clergy worked intensely, sometimes at night, helping people who had found themselves in a dramatic situation.
Fr. Adrian asked that this effort not be wiped out by the act of one man.
He also referred to the Christian understanding of helping another person – a disciple of Christ who loves, supports, and cares for others.
In closing, he appealed for respect for people living together in Jarosław, the region, and all of Poland, and for mutual support “as two brotherly nations”.
One priest is dead, four people were injured
The attack took place on 24 September at around 9:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Jarosław Abbey on Benedyktyńska Street.
According to an official police statement, a 31-year-old citizen of Ukraine stabbed four men and a woman with a knife. All were taken to hospital. One of the clergymen – Fr. Stanisław – died as a result of his injuries.
The Jarosław Abbey later informed that the victims were Fr. Stanisław, Fr. Marek, Fr. Adrian, and two lay people – Krzysztof and Ewa.
The suspect was detained at the scene.
“We forgive”
The first homily by Fr. Adrian after the tragedy was therefore not only a remembrance of the slain clergyman.
The priest, who was himself wounded by the attacker, stood before the faithful two days later and asked them not to respond with hatred, not to blame Ukrainians for the act of one man, and to pray even for the perpetrator.
“We forgive,” he said.
And then he reminded that responsibility for the crime lies with a specific person, not with the nation they come from.
This message was delivered in a place where, just 48 hours earlier, a tragedy had unfolded.
We are publishing the full text of Fr. Adrian’s homily:
“Dear brothers, dear sisters. I will not hide that this sermon is difficult for me. I will not hide that this time we have been going through recently is particularly hard for me. But I know one thing: that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am a disciple of my Master, I am a disciple of my Lord. And Christ teaches me love. Love that allowed itself to be crucified. Love that gave its life for its enemies. Such is my Lord and Master. And I am His servant. And you know well that in many situations, we priests here at the abbey have always tried to serve with all our strength. As best as we could, so that those who come to us could leave here comforted, could receive help, could receive human kindness, could receive support.”
And from this place, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I wish, in my own name, in the name of Father Marek and in the name of Father Stanisław, to say very clearly that we forgive! And we ask for prayer for us. For prayer for Father Stanisław—for peace for his soul—for health for Father Marek, who is still fighting for his life in the hospital, and for me, so that I may return as soon as possible to the full extent of my duties and be able to continue serving you here.”
But in a special way, I ask you to pray for our perpetrator and for the grace of his conversion. The words I am speaking, I say from the depths of my heart. He needs this prayer the most. Because no matter what happened, the evil that happened here, in our abbey, we must overcome with good, with love and with forgiveness. Therefore I ask you that you too forgive, because it affected all of you as well. And from this place I also want to ask you not to blame the nation from which the perpetrator came, because the evil was committed by a particular man, the evil was committed by a particular person, who has his name, his life, who is responsible for his actions. Other people did not do this. It was one, single person.
Therefore I ask you not to repay evil with evil, but with love, support, understanding and care. I ask you for respect for the people who live in our abbey, in our city, in our voivodeship and in our country. I ask you to respect and support one another as two brotherly nations.
When the war in Ukraine broke out, you remember well what was happening in our abbey. That we were open to people who came here. People who needed help, support, care, love—sometimes simply human, ordinary kindness. And you know well that no one here was left without help. We worked with all our strength, often even at night, not sleeping for many hours. Therefore I ask you that this work of ours, our effort and our toil not be in vain. Because I think that this is what we are teaching you here: to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple who loves, who supports, who cares for others.
So, brothers, dear sisters, and all of you who hear this: let us be disciples of Christ—disciples who, with love, care, respect, help, and kindness, support others. It does not matter who they are, what nation they come from, what religion they are, what the color of their skin is—they are people. They have their dignity, and let us not deprive anyone of dignity. Therefore I ask you: let us pray for one another. Let us care for one another and love all those whom we meet on the path of our lives. And when we see wrongdoing, when we see that someone is persecuting someone else, let us not remain silent, but admonish them, because everyone should feel at home among us—not only in our abbey, but in our whole nation. Amen”.
Sources: official statements of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl / the County Police Headquarters in Jarosław and the Jarosław Abbey, as well as an account of Fr. Adrian’s homily of 26 September 2026 / FAMA tv
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