On August 31, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk-Mogilev, the largest Archdiocese in Belarus, was denied passage into his native country after a trip to see a relative’s First Communion and attend celebrations in honour of Our Lady of Częstochowa in neighboring Poland.
“Border guards of the Republic of Belarus denied the head of the Belarusian Catholic episcopate entry to the country without explanation,” Bishop Yuri Kasabutsky, an auxiliary bishop in the Minsk-Mogilev archdiocese, said.
This violates the Belarusian 2009 citizenship law allowing reentry to nationals. Such an unprecedented move comes at a time of continued civil unrest in Belarus.
Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ current president, was re-elected to serve a sixth presidential term with 80.1 percent of the popular vote on August 9, but, with reports of large-scale corruption and voter fraud, his victory has sparked major protests throughout the country. Dozens of protesters have been beaten and arrested, with six of them being killed. Archbishop Kondrusiewicz stated that the maltreatment of protestors by government forces is a “heavy sin on the conscience of those who give criminal orders and do violence.”
Archbishop Kondrusiewicz met with Belarus Interior Minister Yuri Karaev on August 21 to communicate his worries about the government’s draconian response to the demonstrations. Additionally, the archbishop has asked for an official investigation into an instance of riot police blocking access to a Catholic church in Minsk and, prior to his exclusion from Belarus, prayed outside a prison where protesters had reportedly been tortured.
Pope Francis weighed in on the Belarus situation in his Angelus address on August 16 stating: “[I] appeal for dialogue, the rejection of violence and respect for justice and law. I entrust all Belarusians to the protection of Our Lady, Queen of Peace.”
Other organizations have been vocal about their support of Archbishop Kondrusiewicz’s return to his homeland.
On September 3, The Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), issued a statement calling for the archbishop’s immediate reentry into Belarus by government authorities and for the prompt restoration of his episcopal role within the country.
“The CCEE Presidency expresses the closeness of the entire European Episcopate to Monsignor Kondrusiewicz and to the Church in Belarus in this delicate matter … [We] encourage everyone to commit themselves to peacefully resolve the conflict and to pursue, with confidence, the path of dialogue for the good of man and of society as a whole,” the CCEE stated.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the archbishop’s denial into the country as well.
“Belarusian authorities should allow the re-entry of Archbishop Kondrusiewicz, so he can tend to his flock during the ongoing protests. He and all Belarusian people must be allowed to exercise their fundamental freedoms, including freedom to worship,” Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) tweeted on September 1st.
The State Border Committee of Belarus responded to the prelate’s inquiry regarding his denial on September 14 by conveying that his passport had been added to a list of invalid state documents as a government-led “check” into his citizenship is ongoing.
“He hasn’t been stripped of citizenship, because that would require a relevant conclusion. It’s just that the Interior Ministry is verifying that he is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus along with the documents provided by him in the course of the naturalization procedure,” Naturalization and Immigration Department Minister Alexey Begun said.
President Lukashenko said that the archbishop was being denied entry, because he “mixed church and state” and “got certain tasks from Poland.”
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, arrived in Belarus on September 11 for a four-day diplomatic mission to discuss Archbishop Kondrusiewicz’ reentry denial and the sustained political unrest throughout the Eastern European nation. The Holy See stated that the mission was meant “to express the attention and closeness of the Holy Father to the Catholic Church and to the whole country.”
“At the present time, we are asking for prayer, not only for the Catholic Church, but for a peaceful solution for the situation in Belarus because I’m very much afraid of civil war. The situation is very, very difficult, very critical,” the still-exiled Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said in an interview with Catholic News Agency. “[I convey my appreciation] to Catholics around the world for their solidarity, for their prayers, for their moral support in this very critical time for my nation.”
Featured image of Belsat.eu
James Pritchett is a Sophomore studying History and Classics with a deep affinity for his native land, the Golden State. Despite being the most recent lover of Catholicism on the Torch staff, he is the C101 editor and his main interests consist of reading Dostoyevsky, playing devil’s advocate, and correcting people on niche theological heresies.
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