OFFICIAL
T.V. OF
BELARUS REPORTS HEADS OF CATHOLICS AND INTERIOR MINISTRY AGREED
ON COOPERATION;
OFFICIAL CHURCH SITE REPORTS OTHERWISE
A
meeting of the
minister of internal affairs of Belarus, Yury Karaev, and the
head of
Belorussian Catholics, Metropolitan of Minsk and Mogilev Tadeusz
Kondrusiewicz,
was held on 21 August in the M.V.D. of the republic, at the
request of the
Catholic side.
The
minister assured
the archbishop that trained fighters participated in "attacks on
the
police," and therefore it is impossible to speak about the
peaceful
character of all actions. He advocated an initiative for the
formation of an
inter-agency commission, which would conduct its own assessment
of the
conditions for keeping people in custody. At the same time, the
official
Belorussian television channel "ONT" maintains that the sides
agreed
on cooperation.
Quite
different is
the presentation of information about the meeting by the
official website of
the Catholic Church of Belarus. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz
expressed to
the minister his own concern about the cruel actions by law
enforcement
agencies. He emphasized that the church always defends the weak
and
defenseless, and in this situation it is the voice of those who
are deprived of
a voice.
To the
archbishop's
question regarding those about whom there is no information, the
lists of which
were published in news media, the minister replied that "there
are no more
of them," and only about 40 persons remain in custody.
The
chairman of the
Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus informed the minister
of internal
affairs that Catholic priests do not have the possibility of
visiting prisoners
in jails and investigation cells. The minister promised to look
into that
matter.
"We are
not
created to judge but to call all who have committed crimes to
repentance, and
the rest to mercy and forgiveness," Archbishop Tadeusz
Kondrusiewicz said.
(tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2020)
HEAD
OF BELORUSSIAN
CATHOLICS NOT ALLOWED INTO SIZO TO VISIT DETAINEES
Interfax-Religiia,
20
August 2020
The
head of the Roman
Catholic Church in Belorussia, Archbishop Tadeusz
Kondrusiewicz, was not
permitted to enter the SIZO [Investigation Cell] on Okrestina
Street in Minsk
to visit the participants in the protest actions who are
detained there. He
prayed for them outside the walls of the cell, Catholic.by
reports.
"The
archbishop
was not allowed inside. Outside, in the rain, the hierarch
prayed along with a
group of believers, including clergy and members of the
movement 'Mothers in
Prayer.' After the prayer, the archbishop conversed for more
than an hour with
people who were arrested on Okrestina and with volunteers who
were showing
their support," the report says.
In
recent days the
head of Belorussian Catholics has frequently appealed to
authorities requesting
the release of all persons detained during actions of protest
by peaceful
citizens. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2020)
"SETTLE
DOWN AND
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS," LUKASHENKO SAYS TO CLERGY WHO CONDEMN
VIOLENCE BY
SILOVIKI
On 22
August,
Alexander Lukashenko spoke out with sharp criticism against
clergy of
Belorussian confessions who are condemning violence against
peaceful citizens.
He addressed a rally in his support in Grodno, which was
broadcast by RT.
The
incumbent
president of Belarus noted that he was amazed by the position
of some Belorussian
confessions. "My dear clergy, settle down and mind your own
business.
People ought to come to churches to worship. Churches and
temples are not for
politics. People should come there spiritually as it always
has been. Don't
follow the renegades," RIA Novosti quoted Lukashenko.
He is
confident that
clergy will later be "ashamed and embarrassed" for the kind of
position they are taking now. "And the state will not view
this with
indifference," he warned.
Actions
of mass
protest by civil society began throughout Belarus on 9 August,
after
presidential elections at which Alexander Lukashenko was
supposedly elected for
the sixth time. According to information of the Central
Election Commission,
whose head has fled Belarus, he collected 80.1% of the votes.
The opposition
thinks that Svetlana Tikhanovskaia won the election, not
Lukashenko. According
to official information, in the first days after the election
more that 6,700
persons were arrested. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2020)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.