Tragedy in Małopolska. The national Roma pastor, Fr., has died. Stanisław Opocki

On Wednesday in Jurków, before the intersection with the national road No. 75 Brzesko - Nowy Sącz, a car driven by Fr. Stanisław Opocki collided head-on with a truck.

An air ambulance helicopter was called to the scene.

Doctors failed to save Fr.'s life. Opockiego. The priest was 73 years old.

"Romano raszaj"

Fr. Stanisław Opocki was born in 1953. He was ordained a priest in 1978. He was a priest of the Tarnów diocese. In the Roma community he was called "romano raszaj", i.e. "Roma priest".

Fr. Opocki has been the national pastor of the Roma since 1996. Since the beginning of the 1980s, he has been involved in the pastoral care of the Roma and social activities on their behalf. As a vicar in the parish of All Saints in Łososina Górna near Limanowa, he came into contact with Roma families living in very difficult conditions, including: in the nearby Barracks. He began to treat serving among the Roma as his mission.

The priest prepared the Roma for the holy sacraments and organized their pilgrimages.

Over the years, he has also been involved in activities aimed at integrating the Roma community and preserving its traditions and cultural identity.

The Museum of Roma Culture in Warsaw, bidding farewell to the priest, described him as a man of great merit and emphasized his "great pastoral and social work."

"We will not forget when almost everyone turned against the Roma from the Barracks, he was not afraid, he did not turn away - he was with them. He paid a high price of reluctance, misunderstanding, and he could not always count on the people of his own Church. It was too early, pointless, there is still so much to do," they wrote.