Priests and lay Catholics from Belarus said they still hope their church's situation will improve, despite the continued arrests of clergy and new religious restrictions that are imminent.
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Pope Francis on Sunday accepted the resignation of the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who spent time in exile last year after angering President Alexander Lukashenko.
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In a statement announcing the Archbishop s resignation, the Vatican said Bishop Kazimierz Wielikosielec of the Diocese of Pinsk in western Belarus would take his place.
Pope Francis on Sunday accepted the resignation of the Catholic Archbishop of Minsk Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who angered the Lukashenko regime and was banned from Belarus by speaking against the country s government and violence against the protestors.
The Archbishops are supposed to tender their resignation to the Pope when they turn 75 years old, which Kondrusiewicz did on Sunday. However, the Pope decides whether the Archbishop continues or not.
In a statement announcing the Archbishop s resignation, the Vatican said Bishop Kazimierz Wielikosielec of the Diocese of Pinsk in western Belarus would take his place.
Pope accepts resignation of Belarus archbishop who angered Lukashenko By Philip Pullella and Polina Ivanova
Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz conducts a service on Christmas Eve in Minsk
VATICAN CITY/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday accepted the resignation of the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who spent time in exile last year after angering President Alexander Lukashenko.
Kondrusiewicz turned 75 on Sunday, the age at which bishops are required to submit resignation letters to the pope, which he then decides whether to accept.
It is highly unusual for the pope to accept a bishop’s resignation precisely on his 75th birthday and even more so to announce it on a Sunday.