Polish priest won’t be allowed to stay in Belarus because of criticism

A refusal to register is a “personal problem” of the arch-priest of the Roman Catholic church in Rechytsa Grzegorz Chudek, believes the chairman of the Council for Religions and Nationalities’ Affairs of Homel Regional executive committee Mikhail Zhukevich.

As we have informed before, the arch-priest of St. Trinity Roman Catholic church in Rechytsa, a citizen of Poland Grzegorz Chudek, who had served 14 years in parishes of Homel region, had been denied registration for his service. He is to leave Belarus before December 1.

“There is no confrontation of the authorities and the confession, it’s a personal problem of priest Gregorz,” told M. Zhykevich in an interview to BelaPAN. “Rechytsa parish has been registered at the territory of Belarus, that is why the priest is to follow the laws of our country and have a dialogue with representatives of the authorities. Priest Grzegorz Chudek didn’t have a dialogue with local authorities, he didn’t contact them like other priests. Moreover, he published rather hash words about Rechytsa, the town where he had been living and working for 10 years, in Polish press. In the Polish newspaper he covered the situation in the town subjectively. He underlined negative aspects which unfortunately exist in our society. It would have been excusable for Belarusian journalists, but such comments about our country abroad create a negative image of the country. And in his work a priest should spiritually revive the nation, it’s his main function,” M. Zhukovich said.

As the official believes, there is no problem in departure of the priest for Rechytsa Catholics. “It’s just a problem of the priest, where he will find another working place. I am sure that in some time there will be a priest in Rechytsa,” Zhukevich said.

As we have informed, on November 16 apostolic administrator of Pinsk diocese cardinal Kazimir Svyontak addressed the chairman of Rechytsa regional executive committee Alyaksandr Baranau with an appeal to reverse the ruling to cancel registration to priest Chydek. In his address Kazimir Svyontak noted that G. Chydek had irreproachably served the cause of the spiritual revival of the Belarusian nation for 14 years.

Catholics of some parishes of Homel region have started a collection of signatures under an address to the president of Belarus with an appeal to reverse the decision about the priest’s registration. “Hoping for your judgment and kind heart, we hope for another decision concerning Grzegorz,” the address of Cardinat Svyontak reads.