• About WordPress
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • Log In
  • Register

Catholic Masses

  • Search for Mass Times
  • Catholic Faith Articles
    • News Briefs
    • Catholic Church
    • Vatican News
  • Online Masses
    • Daily Catholic Mass Online
      • Daily TV Mass from Toronto
      • EWTN Daily Mass
      • CTVN Daily Mass
      • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
      • Daily Mass (In Spanish)
  • Pray with Us
Home Test page Catholic archbishop blocked at Belarus border calls for prayers

Catholic archbishop blocked at Belarus border calls for prayers

catholic archbishop blocked at belarus border calls for prayers CNA Staff, Sep 1, 2020 / 06:15 am (CNA).- A Catholic archbishop appealed for prayers Tuesday, a day after he was blocked from entering Belarus by border guards.

Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz in Baranovichi 1 CNA Staff, Sep 1, 2020 / 06:15 am (CNA).- A Catholic archbishop appealed for prayers Tuesday, a day after he was blocked from entering Belarus by border guards.

CNA Staff, Sep 1, 2020 / 06:15 am (CNA).- A Catholic archbishop appealed for prayers Tuesday, a day after he was blocked from entering Belarus by border guards.

In a Sept. 1 message to Belarusian Catholics, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said that he was turned back while attempting to cross the border between Poland and Belarus Aug. 31.

The archbishop of Minsk-Mogilev said that although the border guards “behaved very correctly,” their decision to refuse him entry to his homeland was “absolutely incomprehensible” and contravened the law.

“The ban on entering the Republic of Belarus prevents me, as the Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mogilev and the Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Belarus, from carrying out pastoral ministry and participation in planned Church events,” he said, according to the message published on the website of the Catholic Church in Belarus.

Kondrusiewicz was born to an ethnic Polish family in Odelsk, Belarus, and is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus.

Referring to the unrest in the country following a disputed presidential election Aug. 9, the 74-year-old archbishop said that he continued to appeal for dialogue and reconciliation.

“I do not want an unreasonable and illegal decision of the border service to increase tensions in our country,” he said in the letter, written from the Polish city of Białystok, near the border with Belarus.

Belarus, a country of 9.6 million people bordering Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, has seen widespread protests since the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of the presidential election with 80% of the vote.

Electoral officials said that the opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, earned 10% of the vote. She was detained for several hours after complaining to the electoral committee, and has fled to Lithuania.

Police arrested thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets demanding a recount. Despite a severe crackdown, protests have continued across the country.

Kondrusiewicz demanded an investigation last week into reports that riot police blocked the doors of a Catholic church in Minsk while clearing away protesters from a nearby square.

He prayed outside of a prison Aug. 19 where detained protesters were reported to have been tortured.

Kondrusiewicz met with Interior Minister Yuri Karaev Aug. 21 to express his concerns about the government’s heavy-handed response to the protests.

In a pastoral letter read out in churches Aug. 30, the archbishop said he feared the country might be heading for civil war.

Catholics are the second-largest religious community in Belarus after Orthodox Christians. The U.S. government estimates that 53% of Belarusians are Orthodox, 6% Catholic and 8% atheist.

Lukashenko has served as president of Belarus since the office was established in 1994, three years after the country declared independence from the Soviet Union.

According to the state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Lukashenko addressed the incident involving Kondrusiewicz Sept. 1, saying that he did not possess full information about the event. He reportedly suggested that the archbishop might be a citizen of more than one country.

“We are looking into the matter. I do not claim it. We want to study the issue. If everything is according to the law, we will act accordingly. It does not matter whether he is the main Catholic, the main Orthodox, or the main Muslim. He has to live by the law. If you mix church and politics and call for believers, Catholics, who are wonderful people, there is double responsibility for that,” BelTA quoted him as saying.

In his message to his flock in Belarus, Kondrusiewicz said that he had appealed to the State Border Committee to allow him to return to the country. He added that he hoped it was simply a “misunderstanding” that would be swiftly corrected.

“To you, dear brothers in the episcopal and priestly ministry, consecrated persons, believers and people of good will, I appeal for prayer for my speedy return to my homeland and a peaceful solution to the acute socio-political crisis in our Motherland,” he said.

eKMMijmFkdY CNA Staff, Sep 1, 2020 / 06:15 am (CNA).- A Catholic archbishop appealed for prayers Tuesday, a day after he was blocked from entering Belarus by border guards.


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


Catholic World Report

Sep 1, 2020CatholicMass

Share this post:

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on EmailShare on LinkedIn
Church in US firmly opposes death penalty, appeals to God’s mercySudan signs peace deal with rebel groups
You Might Also Like
 
Despite concerned raised, New Zealand voters back assisted suicide
 
Copy Desk Daily, Sept. 7, 2020

You must be logged in to post a comment. - Log in

CatholicMass
5 months ago Catholic News, Europe, News BriefsCatholic Church, Europe, News Briefs9
Find Mass Schedules Near You

CatholicMasses.org allows you to search for Catholic Churches to find Mass times near you!

This unique feature helps while traveling.  Now along with Mass times, schedules and Catholic news you can also watch daily Catholic Mass online with your friends.

Try our free resource to “find Roman Catholic Churches near me” today!

St Alphonsus Liguori praised the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the best way to Honor God.  Join us as we celebrate Mass daily from various parishes around the world, online and offline, and please visit daily to pray with us as we recite the Rosary, offer daily scripture, readings, devotions and Catholic focused news. We bring you daily Catholic Mass from various parishes around the world and Catholic news.

Today’s Mass
Daily Mass Videos
  • Catholic Chicago
  • CatholicTVNetwork Daily Mass
  • Daily Mass from Toronto Canada
  • ETWN Daily Mass
  • Eucaristia en Vivo – Spanish Daily Mass
  • General Catholic Videos
  • Live video from Lourdes France
  • Masses from the Ascension Priests
  • Misa Hoy (en español)
  • National Shrine
  • News from a Catholic Perspective
  • News from CFN
  • Pope Francis and Vatican News
  • Rosary
  • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
What’s New
  • When is Easter 2021?
  • Pope Francis expects to die ‘in Rome, as pope, in office or emeritus’
  • Indonesia’s Papuan bishops urge a future of hope for their people
  • PAV marks first anniversary of “Rome Call AI” document
  • Pope releases theme of Migrants & Refugees Day message
About

Providing up to date online access to information exclusively about Catholicism.

Visit our site map | Privacy Policy | About Us Page.

Streaming Catholic Mass Online

Watch Catholic Mass Online Today.

Find Churches Nearby
Email-Subscription

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news and event postings.

2019 © Catholic Mass Search - Search Catholic Churches and find Mass times while traveling.
Privacy Policy | About Us Page.
Truemag theme by StrictThemes
Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!