Warsaw archbishop asks Vatican to defrock Polish priest charged with killing of homeless man

Warsaw, Jul 27 (AP) The archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, has asked the Vatican to defrock a priest charged with the killing of a 68-year-old homeless man who was beaten with an axe and set on fire.
     Prosecutors on Saturday charged the priest, only identified as Miroslaw M in line with Polish privacy rules, with murder with particular cruelty. He is being detained ahead of a trial and faces 15 years to life behind bars.
     Investigators say the priest and the victim, Anatol Cz, were together in a car late Thursday when an argument broke out, according to Aneta Gozdz, a spokesperson for the Radom District Prosecutor's Office.
     The fight stemmed from a donation agreement where the priest had agreed to provide lifelong assistance and care for the man, Gozdz said in a statement. The argument escalated over the homeless man's future housing.
     The priest allegedly struck the victim on the head with an axe, doused him in flammable liquid and set him on fire, the spokesperson said. The priest then drove away when he saw a bicycle light approaching.
     The bicyclist found the victim engulfed in flames and called for first responders, Gozdz said.
     “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,” Gozdz said.
     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.
     The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (AP) NPK
NPK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)