OSV News) A Catholic parish priest accused of offending state authorities in Belarus said he understood the hardships facing prisoners of conscience after just four days in jail. I wouldn t wish this on anyone not a single hour in such a place, said Father Andrej Kulik, rector of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish at Miory. Many of my colleagues have sat in prison for various concocted reasons in recent decades, not just here in Belarus, and it made no difference that I
Belarus priests denied access to help political prisoners
Christian charity accuses the country s rulers of using the coronavirus as an excuse for refusing pastoral access
Updated: May 07, 2021 06:06 AM GMT
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Opposition supporters rally to protest against disputed Belarus presidential election results in Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (Photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP)
A Catholic Church spokesman confirmed that clergy are unable to minister to political prisoners in Belarus after a Christian charity accused the country s rulers of using the coronavirus as an excuse for refusing pastoral access. The coronavirus is providing very neat possibilities for all kinds of negative answers, said Father Yuri Sanko, spokesman for the Belarusian bishops conference. Our church has no signed agreement with the Interior Ministry, so a priest can only visit if a prisoner requests it. Even if such a request is made, however, the authorities can decide whether to let the priest in.