Shocking scenes unfolded on Friday evening at the parish church of St. Michael the Archangel in Mieścisko (Greater Poland Voivodeship). A man hurled insults at and grabbed the priest, then used a cross to demolish the altar.
The disturbing incident occurred on Friday during the evening Mass in the church in Mieścisko. A man, bare from the waist up, entered the building and began behaving aggressively toward the priest.
He abusively ordered the clergyman to leave and started to jostle him, at one point tearing the microphone away and throwing it toward the congregation.
After a scuffle lasting several minutes, the aggressive man ripped out a cross and began smashing the altar with it, knocking down candles and liturgical vessels.
A local outlet, portalwrc.pl, reported that the aggressor is a 47-year-old resident of Mieścisko. Police called to the scene detained him and took him to the station in Wągrowiec. The man was intoxicated. The police are clarifying the circumstances of the incident.
“We are taking action together with the organization Fidei Defensor—as a prelude to broader cooperation to protect the constitutional freedom of religious worship and to defend against acts of Christianophobia. We expect the local authorities to condemn this act of violence,” wrote Dr. Jerzy Kwaśniewski, head of the Ordo Iuris Institute, on social media.
🚨BREAKING: Shocking attack in Mieścisko, Poland – A man vandalized St. Michael the Archangel Church during evening Mass on Sept. 12, demolishing the altar, damaging a cross, and physically assaulting the priest in front of parishioners. Police are investigating
— 2 (@2iemia) September 13, 2025
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