Appeal to the flock of the Catholic Church in Belarus by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz

Appeal to the flock of the Catholic Church in Belarus
by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz
Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev
Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Belarus

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

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

Such a decision of 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 the Republic of Belarus of citizens of the Republic of Belarus» in Article 3 «The right of citizens to leave the Republic of Belarus and entry 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 fulfill 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
Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev
Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Belarus

Białystok, September 1, 2020