By Paul Suski –
On February 5, 2026, an article about Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko appeared in the Catholic weekly Gość Niedzielny. A dear friend, knowing how close this Polish martyr for the Truth is to me, urged me to read it immediately and perhaps even to write something on the subject. I, however, paid it no heed. It was only when another article on the same topic appeared in the following issue—this time with an opposing narrative, even accusing Prosecutor Andrzej Witkowski of ‘confabulations‘—that I took notice. There is a proverb: “A guilty conscience needs no accuser.” I decided, therefore, to reach for the first one. And here is my Lenten reflection.
My fellow countryman, Fr. Jerzy, once said: “Truth bears the mark of endurance and of ultimately coming into the light, even when one attempts to conceal it with the utmost diligence and deliberation.”
The Martyrdom Was Even Greater is the title of a published interview with Dr. Milena Kindziuk, a distinguished biographer of the Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko and a lecturer at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University. It contains numerous highly interesting, perhaps even groundbreaking, pieces of information for a Western audience.
As is widely established, Oct. 19, 1984, is accepted as the date of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko’s death. Yet, one can read in the interview: “…after years of archival research, new documents, new witness testimonies, and new operational analyses have emerged, as well as independent opinions from three professors of forensic medicine from 2002, which indicate that Father Popiełuszko’s death occurred between Oct. 25 and 26, rather than on [Oct.] 19.”
The investigative journalism of Piotr Litka and other researchers provide a coherent picture pointing out that the Priest was imprisoned for a few days and subjected to brutal torture, which ultimately led to his death. This most likely took place in one of the bunkers in Kazuń Polski, located approximately 25 km from Warsaw, which “had been prepared for him since Oct. 10.” – emphasizes Dr. Kindziuk.
Today, pilgrimages journey there, Holy Masses are celebrated, and the faithful gather in prayer. The researcher explains that the official version was crafted in accordance with the political exigencies of the time, rather than to align with the facts.
The following is a summary of the official version:
Father Popiełuszko was abducted alongside his driver on the highway in Górsk, near Toruń, late on the evening of Oct. 19, 1984. The priest was placed in the trunk of a Fiat 125. In the vicinity of Przysiek, Waldemar Chrostowski, the priest’s driver, leapt from the kidnappers’ vehicle. The abductors made several stops both within Toruń and on the route outside the city. During these stops, the priest was beaten, threatened with a handgun, and strangled; finally, he was gagged, a sack of stones was bound to his legs, and a self-tightening noose was applied. Subsequently, the perpetrators proceeded to the dam in Włocławek, where they threw the priest — it is unknown whether he was alive or dead — into the water. Father Popiełuszko’s remains were recovered on Oct. 30, 1984. The perpetrators were three officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while their superior was Adam Pietruszka.
Although the autopsy indicated prolonged and brutal beating accompanied by profuse bleeding in the trunk of the Fiat 125, in which the abductors were alleged to have transported the Priest, “specialized inspections did not reveal even a trace amount of blood.” This implies that the version involving the trunk simply does not hold water, argues Dr. Kindziuk.
This is not the only detail that has raised doubts for years. A specialized police dog picked up the scent from the seat where the victim had sat two or three times, and each time lost it two hundred meters away. As Sergeant Nowak stated during questioning: “After all, the priest did not lift off from that spot into the air by means of a helicopter.” There must, therefore, have been a third vehicle present with Military Intelligence Officers.
Dr. Kindziuk asserts that the experts failed to establish the time of death and neglected routine procedures. Years later, one of them, Dr. Tadeusz Jóźwik, stated that “the autopsy report was as ordered.” We read further in the article that “the trial was a carefully orchestrated spectacle intended to close the case and shield the involvement of the military apparatus and the actual decision-makers.” Moreover, the wife of Adam Pietruszka — the superior of the alleged killers — stated: “Only what the Minister of Internal Affairs desired came to light; the rest is a state secret… the judges were compliant.”
The aforementioned bunkers were located on military grounds, entirely beyond the reach of outsiders. Residents interviewed by Dr. Kindziuk recalled that during those cold days of October 1984 there was increased military vehicle traffic, heightened food deliveries, and a noticeable presence of soldiers, and some of them are reportedly still afraid to speak to this day.
Continuing with the findings of Dr. Kindziuk, her “IV-section” — a highly detailed interview conducted with the Prosecutor and published by the Catholic weekly Niedziela — remains accessible online (as of March 1, 2026).
In the very first section, the Author seeks to ascertain why the Prosecutor does not disclose the full truth regarding the murder of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, citing the secrecy of the investigation, since such allegations have surfaced in the public sphere.
“I will gladly explain,” says Witkowski: “Pursuant to Article 241 § 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a prosecutor — including one in retirement, as I am now — is bound by the secrecy of the investigation. This status would change upon the finalization of a substantive decision concluding the preparatory proceedings. Given that so many years have passed since the events of 1984, the likelihood of filing an indictment in court is more than slim. For the time being, however, the proceedings regarding the orchestration of the abduction and murder of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko are ongoing — they are being conducted by the Branch Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation in Gdańsk, the Bydgoszcz Branch of the IPN. As long as they continue, the law forbids me from making public the case materials known to me that have not yet been disclosed.”
What else supports the unofficial version?
The Prosecutor recalls his 2004 interrogation of the tracking-dog handler, Roman Nowak, who provided testimony as a witness. “…he sat in a chair on the other side of the desk. Tense and visibly startled, he initially said:
‘Because, you see… I don’t know if I can speak…’
‘Why? What is restraining you?’ I asked.
‘And who will guarantee that I will continue to live? Do you know that they drowned one of my colleagues, who knew too much, in a pond?'”
One must rely on the facts that have been established and documented over many years, says Dr. Kindziuk. “In my assessment, this was most reliably and fully accomplished in the investigations of Prosecutor Andrzej Witkowski.” Two proceedings were conducted by him: from 1990 to 1991 on behalf of the Prosecutor’s Office at the Ministry of Justice, and from 2002 to 2004 within the structures of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). Surprisingly, the Prosecutor was removed from the investigation twice when it appeared that something of great significance might be revealed — a coincidence?
Another tragic aspect of the entire story is the reported detention of the Priest in the infamous bunker.
Officers of the Military Information Services (WSI) did not want him to expire prematurely. They worked arduously toward the goal that the victim, through “refined beating, blackmail, and elaborate threats,” would yield to the pressure and agree to cooperate. The priest’s already fragile health presumably deteriorated by the hour. Consequently, “on Oct. 21, 1984, police officers came to the apartment of the priest’s physician, Dr. Barbara Jarmużyńska‑Janiszewska, in Warsaw and demanded a list of the medications he was taking.” The doctor recounted this to Prosecutor Witkowski, stating that “she even wanted to go with them and administer the medications to the priest, but they did not grant permission […] she was convinced then that Father Jerzy was still alive.”
According to Prosecutor Witkowski, three days later, on Oct. 24, 1984, Secret Service Officers arrived at the Railway Hospital on Brzeska Street in Warsaw. Dr. Krystyna Pobieżyńska, who provided outpatient and hospital care for the Priest, worked there. They demanded information from her regarding the Priest’s ailments and the medical therapy he was undergoing. Their demand was met.
During this same period, prayers for the Priest’s release were ongoing in Warsaw and throughout Poland, as Poles held onto the hope that he was alive.
The book Księżobójcy (Priest-Killers), published in 2016 and authored by investigative journalist Leszek Szymowski, contains a conversation with Leszek Pękala, one of the alleged perpetrators of the murder, conducted in 2008. He stated: “Those military men took the priest in a Nysa van. They went to Kazuń. There they beat him to death after six days of torture…“
In Piotr Litka‘s documentary, a taxi driver appears who confirmed that “on the evening of Oct. 25, 1984, he was at the dam and saw exactly then how Father Jerzy’s body was thrown into the Vistula.” At the end, the interlocutor admits: “I have said too much… One must forget.”
In fact, this was a fisherman who had changed professions. Prosecutor Witkowski confirms that “this was the same fisherman with whom, during the investigation and a site reconstruction in 2003, we sailed to the indicated fourth pillar of the dam. It was there, next to his boat, that the priest’s remains fell into the water on Oct. 25, 1984.” Thus, Mr. Litka’s film is credible.
Let us return to the beginning when the victim was still alive.
The figure of the Priest’s driver, Waldemar Chrostowski, remains unclear and rather controversial. He allegedly broke free from the hands of the Secret Service officers and leapt from a speeding vehicle, damaging the jacket he was wearing. Years later, Witkowski commissioned an expert analysis of this jacket from Prof. Andrzej Włochowicz, one of the world’s foremost experts in textiles, who stated in his report that “the severance of the back flap of the jacket occurred as a result of using (…) a sharp tool, which could have been a knife or a razor blade. (…) first, cuts were made with a sharp tool to the left and right sleeves of the jacket, and only subsequently did abrasions occur on the left and right sleeves of the jacket as a result of heavy friction against a surface, which could also have been asphalt.” Another investigative journalist, Wojciech Sumliński, suggests his links to the SB (Secret Service).
Following the recovery of the priest’s body on Oct. 30, a protocol was drafted which reads: “a white, double-twisted cord, braided from seven strands and made of plastic, was wrapped ten times around the wrist. A fragment of the same cord is visible in the front part of the neck, into which it is embedded…” The document also mentions a jute sack tied to the leg. What is truly significant is that banknotes, a driver’s license, a photograph of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko in liturgical vestments, and a summons to the prosecutor’s office, among other items, were discovered in the pocket of the priest’s cassock. This is clearly visible in the recorded film. “Had they remained in the water not for five days (since Oct. 25) but for eleven days (since Oct. 19), the degree of the river environment’s impact on them would have led to a much greater scale of destruction than actually occurred.”
Neither Father Jerzy’s friend, Father Stanisław Małkowski, nor his Pastor and Spiritual Father, Teofil Bogucki, ever recognized the official date of the Blessed’s death. In a photo available online, the coffin at the funeral can be seen with a plaque that lacks the date of death.
The reader can now become familiar with some medical premises for determining the moment of death.
After circulation ceases, blood accumulates in the lowest parts of the body, causing skin discoloration in those areas. The livor mortis — or post-mortem lividity — identified during the priest’s autopsy indicates that “within a timeframe of five to twelve hours from the cessation of vital functions, the priest’s remains were in a ‘prone’ position.” This proves that, in this specific case, the body lay in a horizontal position for some time “before assuming its final position in the water after being thrown into the river.” This most likely occurred during transport from the Kazuń bunker “to the dam in Włocławek on Oct. 25, 1984.”
The “first autopsy” was performed in the mortuary of the Włocławek hospital by officers of the communist secret services, who subjected the remains to certain manipulations. Their objective was to ensure the body’s appearance was consistent with the official version of events. “After these procedures, the remains were again thrown into the Vistula at the level of the fourth pillar of the dam (we do not know exactly when or how), thus precisely where they were meant to be found; and indeed, they were ‘found’ on the orders of Gen. Kiszczak during the official recovery on Oct. 30, 1984.”
For the purpose of evaluating the Białystok autopsy, a team of three expert professors of forensic medicine was appointed in 2002 by Prosecutor Andrzej Witkowski. Their opinion indicates that the Priest’s vital functions ceased several days before the autopsy examination, on Oct. 25 or 26. This is consistent with the testimonies of witnesses who reportedly saw the body thrown into the Vistula from the dam before midnight on Oct. 25.
In determining the time of death, factors such as rigor mortis are considered — that is, in lay terms, the muscular stiffness that occurs when vital functions cease. The contraction of muscle fibres subsides after several days as tissue decomposition advances. Citing two preeminent authorities in the field of forensic medicine, Professors Edmund Chróścielewski and Stefan Raszeja, “they prove that the onset of the resolution of rigor mortis occurs three to four days post mortem.” Its resolution varies depending on ambient temperature. During the autopsy on Oct. 31, 1984, the Prosecutor continues, “it was established that ‘rigor mortis present in the lower and upper limbs and in the masseter muscles was weak, easily overcome.’” This was, therefore, rigor mortis already receding. Rigor mortis “was not examined on Oct. 30, 1984, during the external examination after the ‘official’ recovery of the body from the Vistula on Oct. 30.” Why? Because several hours before the autopsy in Białystok it would certainly have been more pronounced than what was observed a day later. That would have further complicated the false narrative of the so-called official version from Toruń.
An argument frequently advanced in the media in favour of the official version posits that “lumps of cheese were discovered in the gastric contents during the autopsy,” purportedly two hours after supper had been consumed. The primary counterargument is the question of how it can be certain that this occurred on Oct. 19; the captors could just as easily have served the priest cheese for breakfast on Oct. 25. Citing an excerpt from the 2002 opinion of the panel of expert professors: “The presence of partially digested food remains in the deceased’s stomach indicates that death occurred within a relatively short period after a meal, on the order of several hours. The experts performing the autopsy used a term that by no means confirms the substance was actually cheese. Partially digested food is very difficult to evaluate with the naked eye. Lumps of coagulated egg white can appear similar. From the additional tests conducted, it is known only that they contained fat, albeit in a small amount (individual tiny globules).”
The findings presented rule out that the body of the murdered priest was thrown into the Vistula within two hours of the moment he was deprived of his liberty.
For a devout Catholic, non-material arguments may hold value.
Dr. Milena Kindziuk, together with the Rev. Prof. Józef Naumowicz, interviewed Francesca Sgobbi, an Italian visionary who has reportedly experienced encounters with Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko since July 7, 2009. On that day she sought divine consolation in the cathedral in Palmanova, as her husband, Giorgio, was in the hospital following surgery for prostate cancer. Giorgio claims that he was later miraculously healed, which he attributes to the martyr’s intercession. According to Francesca, Father Jerzy desires that his messages first reach his Homeland and then be spread throughout the World. Father Jerzy is said to have dictated texts to Francesca in languages she does not know, including Latin and French.
On Sept. 13, 2017, Fr. Jerzy reportedly said,
“After so many meetings at which we have prayed, today I have come because I know that you want to ask me about my martyrdom.”
The visionary recalls that he was so severely beaten that he choked on his own blood. Therefore, when he was thrown into the river, he did not feel the cold. The moments of torture seemed like an eternity to him. Whenever he regained consciousness, he prayed to Jesus and Mary to take him so that he would no longer have to suffer.
On a personal note: More than a dozen years ago I had the opportunity to lie prostrate just a metre from the Martyr’s cassock at St. Stanislaus Kostka in Żoliborz district. On another occasion I knelt a metre from the glass casket containing the body of St. Andrew Bobola on Rakowiecka Street. I felt very clearly that these two Men of God, separated by three centuries, are united by a particular intercessory power before God, won at the price of suffering that is difficult to imagine!
Let the words spoken in 1997 by Marianna Popiełuszko, the mother of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, serve as a Lenten reflection for this essay:
“I judge no one, nor do I seek anyone’s death. The Lord God Himself will judge one day. The murderers will have to atone as much as is necessary. May the Lord Jesus forgive them. My greatest joy would be their conversion. I have already forgiven them.”
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(Author’s note: As stated by the researcher of private revelations, Fr. Dr. Andrzej Baran, OFMCap, Francesca Sgobbi’s visions encompass corporeal apparitions of Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, as well as interior locutions perceived through the physical sense of hearing.)
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Paul Suski, based in Poland, has a BA in English Language Teaching, an MA in Political Science, three adolescent children, and wears a Carmelite scapular.