THE
P RTAL
November 2017
Page 20
Aid to the Church in Need
Church working for
rights, not privileges
Murcadha O Flaherty reports on the situation
facing Catholics in Belarus
B elarus’ authorities
are undermining religious freedom for more than 650,000 Catholics
in the country, but a senior cleric spoke of the Church’s efforts helping the faithful there. Archbishop
Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk-Mohilev wrote to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need of government
obstacles preventing priests extending their residence permits and additional restrictions on visiting priests
to stop them from celebrating Holy Mass.
Identifying the need for state and Church to formally
sign an agreement upholding the right to religious
freedom in Belarus, Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said:
“Without a concordat… the Church in the Republic of
Belarus cannot completely fulfil its mission as it does
in other countries.” He stated that the Church is not
seeking “any privileges, but an acknowledgement of its
rights in order to be able to adequately carry out its
work.”
The prelate told the charity of a growing number
of foreign priests having worked in Belarus for many
years who are now being denied extensions to their
residence permits. He said that priests are deported
under the pretext of minor road traffic offences such
as speeding. Noting the impact of the authorities’ visa
restrictions, he said: “They are often issued a visa for
only three to six months. That is not conducive to doing
any sort of real work as a priest, and the pastoral work
with believers and youth formation are suffering from
it.” Even though the archbishop noted a significant
growth from 60 to 400 native Belarus priests over the
past 25 years, he described the work of foreign priests
across the country as “indispensable”. He said: “We are
trying to develop local vocations, but that takes time.
And then you have to factor in the demographic crisis,
which also has a negative impact on the number of
vocations.”
Archbishop Kondrusiewicz added that visiting
priests on short-term visas are required to obtain
permission from the authorities before they are
allowed to celebrate Holy Mass – a request that is
not processed within the duration of their stay in the
country. He said: “A paradox situation has developed
in which a foreign priest may attend Mass as part of the
congregation, but when he stands on the other side of
the altar and celebrates Holy Mass himself, he becomes
a criminal.” The archbishop said: “For some unknown
reason, Belarus is afraid of foreign priests. But how
many church buildings have been and are being built
to serve believers in Belarus – and all thanks to the
efforts of these foreign priests. These priests come to
proclaim the Word of God in places where there are no
local priests… They get to know the culture of Belarus
and Belarus becomes their home. And they bring new
pastoral experiences with them.
Archbishop Kondrusiewicz spoke of the state’s
refusal to return Church buildings confiscated during
Soviet times. Noting that restitution laws for Church
property are in place in several other East European
countries, but an absence of protection for the Church’s
cultural heritage in Belarus, he said: “Where is the
justice?” He added that costly permit extensions have
to be paid during the construction work for churches,
which are built solely with parishioners’ donations,
unlike other public buildings with state funding.
The archbishop also spoke of his concern about
state attempts to influence the contents of catechesis
teaching materials used in the Church’s Sunday school
programme. He said: “This is just interference in the
internal matters of the Church and is not reconcilable
with religious freedom and the freedom of conscience
and of religious organisations.”
Aid to the Church in Need is supporting the Church
in Belarus with catechesis courses in the Maryvale
Institute and elsewhere as well as building parish
centres including the retreat centre constructed in
Grondo Diocese, Ros City.
Aid to the Church in Need - www.acnuk.org
contact: [email protected] or call 020 8642 8668