Solved case · 1984
Also known as Jerzy Popiełuszko · Alfons Popiełuszko
File:Jerzy Popieluszko.jpgCredit: Unknown author Unknown authorPublic domainSourceThe short answer
Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Polish Roman Catholic priest linked to the Solidarity movement, was abducted and beaten to death by three Security Service officers on 19 October 1984; his body was recovered from the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek on 30 October 1984. The three officers and the colonel who ordered the killing were tried and convicted.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Jerzy PopiełuszkoJerzy Popiełuszko (born Alfons Popiełuszko on 14 September 1947 in Okopy, near Suchowola) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest ordained by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in May 1972. He served in parishes in and around Warsaw and, in 1981, joined striking workers at the Warsaw Steelworks, after which he became associated with trade unionists in the Solidarity movement opposing Poland's communist government. During the period of martial law, his sermons combined religious teaching with criticism of the authorities and were broadcast by Radio Free Europe, giving him a national following.
Popiełuszko was targeted by the Security Service, Poland's communist-era secret police. A staged car accident intended to kill him on 13 October 1984 failed when he evaded it. On 19 October 1984, after celebrating an evening Mass in Bydgoszcz at the invitation of the Pastoral Care of the Working People, Popiełuszko was intercepted by three Security Service officers who had staged a car breakdown to flag down his vehicle. He was abducted near Górsk, severely beaten, and bound. A stone was tied to his feet and his body was dropped into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek, where he died. His body was recovered from the reservoir on 30 October 1984.
News of the killing caused widespread public reaction in Poland. A day after the discovery of the body, U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued a statement acknowledging Polish grief and describing Popiełuszko as a champion of Christian values and a courageous spokesman for the cause of liberty. The three officers who carried out the abduction and beating — Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, and Waldemar Chmielewski — were tried and convicted, along with their superior, Colonel Adam Pietruszka, who was convicted of giving the order to kill Popiełuszko; all four received prison sentences. Popiełuszko's funeral was held in Warsaw on 3 November 1984 and was attended by a crowd estimated at 600,000 to 1 million people, including Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa.
Popiełuszko was buried at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw's Żoliborz district, which became a site of pilgrimage. In 2009 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration. The Roman Catholic Church's beatification process concluded on 6 June 2010, when Cardinal Angelo Amato beatified Popiełuszko in Warsaw on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing him as a martyr.
Jerzy Popiełuszko (born Alfons Popiełuszko) is born in Okopy, near Suchowola.
Popiełuszko is ordained a priest by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
Popiełuszko joins striking workers at the Warsaw Steelworks and becomes associated with the Solidarity movement.
A staged car accident intended to kill Popiełuszko fails when he evades it.
After celebrating Mass in Bydgoszcz, Popiełuszko is abducted near Górsk by three Security Service officers, severely beaten, and bound; his body is dropped into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek.
Popiełuszko's body is recovered from the Vistula Water Reservoir.
Popiełuszko's funeral is held in Warsaw, attended by an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people including Lech Wałęsa.
Popiełuszko is posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration.
Cardinal Angelo Amato beatifies Popiełuszko in Warsaw on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Polish Roman Catholic priest associated with the Solidarity movement; abducted and beaten to death by Security Service officers on 19 October 1984.[3]
Colonel in the Security Service; convicted of giving the order to kill Popiełuszko.[3]
Captain in the Security Service; one of three officers who abducted and beat Popiełuszko to death; tried and convicted of the murder.[3]
Security Service officer; one of three officers who abducted and beat Popiełuszko to death; tried and convicted of the murder.[3]
Security Service officer; one of three officers who abducted and beat Popiełuszko to death; tried and convicted of the murder.[3]
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