CONFLICT BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND COMMISSIONER FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS HEATS UP IN BELORUSSIA
Interfax-Religiia, 2 February 2015
Catholic bishops of Belorussia accused the commissioner for affairs of religions and nationalities, Leonid Guliako, of enflaming interethnic and interreligious hostility.
"Catholic bishops of Belarus in a regular plenary session on 30 January discussed the accusations heard recently against Polish priests who are ministering in Belarus, as well as accusations of partiality of the leadership of the Catholic Church in training their priests," the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Belorussia says in a declaration which Interfax obtained.
The authors of the document think this is a "baseless insult of the Catholic Church and an enflaming of interethnic and interconfessional hostility."
The document provides data according to which in 1989, around 60 Catholic priests were serving in Belorussia and now their number has grown to 360. "Isn't this really proof that our church devotes much effort in the area of training local priests? The problem is that in soviet times, because of the absence of a seminary in Belarus, there was no possibility to train new priests," the statement says.
Last week L. Guliako stated that some foreign priests, mainly from Poland, are attempting to engage in politics in Belorussia. He said they criticize Belorussia, its laws, and the leadership of the country. In such circumstances, the authorities do not consent to an extension of their stay in the republic.
L. Guliako also noted that among Catholic priests are found such violations as the performance of worship services outside those regions where a specific foreign priest was permitted to minister. Also foreign priests do not always have complete command of any of the official languages of Belorussia.
The commissioner said that cases of administrative violations of law are also found, which are committed primarily by priests from Poland. In particular, L. Guliako mentioned public intoxication.
According to his data, in 491 Catholic parishes in Belorussia, more than 430 priests are serving, of whom 113 are foreign citizens, from Poland, as a rule. In 2005, 202 foreigners served in Catholic churches of the country. The government is accustoming Catholics to a reduction of the number of foreign clergymen in light of the fact that four Catholic educational institutions are operating in Belorussia. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2015)
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