Polish Catholic priests might have been banned from serving in Belarus for assisting Greek Catholics
Following the news that all Greek Catholic parishes in the Brest region were deprived of state registration, no public comments or statements on this matter from the clergy, including hierarchs, have appeared to date. However, comparing some facts allows for certain assumptions, writes Katolik.life.
Some new details have become known regarding the parish in Ivatsevichy, which was the first to be liquidated. It turns out this happened by decision of the Brest Regional Court — such information is contained in the state register. This could mean that the community did not file an application for liquidation and did not agree to not passing re-registration. Parishes in Baranavichy and Brest were also liquidated through the court.
According to opinions within the Catholic community of Belarus, it was the Greek Catholics of the Brest region who were the most numerous and active, so the deprivation of their registration raises even more questions.
A detail from the life of the Roman Catholic parish in Ivatsevichy has also been noticed, where recently the authorities did not grant permission for the continuation of service to the pastor, Polish priest Adam Straczynski, and he was forced to leave Belarus along with another Polish priest.
Since the beginning of the year, after the liquidation of the Greek Catholic parish in Ivatsevichy, its priest participated in conducting Roman Catholic services in the local church. This is visible in photos of the parish. Next were photos from the farewell to the Polish pastor, and since then the Greek Catholic priest has no longer been seen in photos from the church.
Therefore, the faithful concluded that a probable reason for depriving the Polish priest of permission to serve could have been his invitation of the Greek Catholic priest of the liquidated parish to serve in the church.
Although there is nothing illegal in this, and such a practice, where Greek Catholic priests participate in holy services together with Roman Catholics, is common.
The liquidated communities themselves also continue to remain silent.
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200 гадоў традыцый рэпрэсіяў супраць спрадвечнай беларускай веры - уніяцтва.