Archbishop of Minsk prevented from returning to Belarus

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz

As the protests against the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko continue, so does the retaliation and crackdown by State authorities. On Monday, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Minsk-Mogilev, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, was stopped at the Polish-Belarusian border and prevented from entering Belarus following a short pastoral trip to Poland where he had been invited to take part in various celebrations. The Border Guards gave him no explanation, however Lukashenko has since claimed that the Archbishop, who was in Warsaw on Church business, "suddenly went there for consultations and was given specific tasks." The President went on to state that "information has emerged that Kondrusiewicz has more than one citizenship."

In a statement written today, in Belarusian, Russian, and English and sent from Bialystok to the people of Belarus, Archbishop Kondrusiewicz writes:

Beloved bishops in Christ, priests, monks and nuns, brothers and sisters, people of good will!

On August 31, 2020, while at the Kuźnica Białostocka - Bruzgi border crossing, I was refused entry to Belarus without any explanation, although the border guards behaved very correctly.

Such a decision by the Border Guard is completely incomprehensible to me as a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, because the Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 49-3 of September 20, 2009, 'On the procedure for leaving the Republic of Belarus and entry to the Republic of Belarus of citizens of the Republic of Belarus - The right of citizens to leave the Republic of Belarus and entry to the Republic of Belarus' defines the following: 'The right of a citizen to enter the Republic of Belarus cannot be limited.'

The ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus prevents me, as the Ordinary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mogilev and the Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Belarus, from carrying out my pastoral ministry and participating in planned church events.

In the conditions of the current socio-political crisis in our Motherland, I have called and continue to call for dialogue and reconciliation. I absolutely do not want the unjustified and lawless decision of the Border Guard to aggravate the tension in our Homeland.

I applied to the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus with a request to clarify the situation and cancel the decision to ban my return to my Homeland in order to fulfil my pastoral duties. I hope this is just an annoying misunderstanding, which will be corrected as soon as possible.

To you, dear brothers in the episcopal and priestly ministry, monks and nuns, laity and people of good will, I apply for prayer for my speedy return to the Motherland and the peaceful resolution of the acute socio-political crisis in our country.

Entrusting all of you to the Mother of God and the heavenly patron of Belarus, Saint Michael the Archangel, with all my heart I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz

In an interview with the Belarusian Church media portal, Catholic.by, Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of Minsk-Mohilev, Yurij Kasabutsky said: "The situation is complicated and unclear. At this point, there are still no official explanations from the authorities. The Archbishop addressed the Chairman of the State Border Committee, Anatoly Lapo, directly, but did not receive an answer to the question why the border guards did not allow him to return home. When asked about the statement by President Lukashenko that Archbishop Kondrusiewicz allegedly 'got into politics', went to Warsaw for some 'consultations' and received 'certain tasks' there, and that his citizenship is being checked. All statements by Archbishop Kondrusiewicz are publicly available; everyone can read them and draw their own conclusions. Representatives of the Church, especially bishops, have the right and duty not to be indifferent to what is happening in society, especially in the current situation in our country. This is no longer politics; this is a real humanitarian crisis that threatens to become a catastrophe if nothing is done."

Bishop Yurij explained that the Archbishop did not support any of the candidates before and after the elections, did not make any political statements, but only called for honesty, responsibility, an end to violence and dialogue. His actions and statements are within the framework of the social teaching of the Catholic Church and the current legislation of the Republic of Belarus. These are, said the bishop, "first of all, the moral aspects of public life, Christian and universal values, the departure from which causes crises in society."

Commenting on the President, the bishop concluded: "It seems to me that the President was not well informed. He himself admitted that he did not have complete information. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz can go to the Vatican for consultations and receive assignments from Pope Francis, but not from someone else, such as Warsaw, Moscow or elsewhere."

Later in the interview, the bishop countered the claim that the Archbishop held more than one citizenship, "The Archbishop has only one citizenship - Belarusian, and according to the law, his right to enter cannot be restricted in any way. By law, Belarusian citizens cannot be put on the 'blacklist', so there is a clear misunderstanding."

The Church in Belarus awaits the return of their beloved pastor knowing that the President is not known for compromise or u-turns.

(Seán O'Donnell is based in Lithuania and has previously worked with the Church in Belarus.)