Catholic Bishops Call for Respect for Human Rights and Civil Liberties in Belarus

The Belarusian episcopate appealed to all people of good will.

For the fourth month, Belarus has been in an unprecedented social and political crisis, which is getting worse, according to a special appeal of the country's Catholic bishops, which was published on the portal of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus.

The bishops stated that violence does not stop in the country; the society is divided, and "blood continues to be shed." In their opinion, this "does not portend a happy future" because, as Christ said, "a house divided against itself will not stand." "It is hard to believe that this is happening in our peaceful country, known for its tolerance and harmony between people of different faiths and nationalities," they said.

"The Catholic Church, guided by the Gospel and the social doctrine based on it, speaks out against violence, lawlessness, injustice and condemns them," the address emphasizes. "The Church calls for a peaceful resolution of the problems that have arisen through dialogue in the spirit of love for God and neighbor, in compliance with God's and human laws."

"We, the Catholic bishops of Belarus, join the appeal of Pope Francis, addressed to the state authorities after the Angelus prayer on September 13. In it, the pontiff called on to listen to the voice of fellow citizens and to meet their legitimate aspirations, ensuring full respect for human rights and civil liberties," the clergy said.

At the same time, they stressed that the main goal of the church is "to proclaim the Gospel for the sake of building the Kingdom of God, which is not guided by the principles of this world and does not claim earthly power." Therefore, the church, according to them, "does not perform state functions and cannot be used by anyone for political purposes."

"At this fateful time in the history of our fatherland, as the holy Apostle Paul taught, we must bear each other's burdens, provide mutual support and solidarity to build a united, not divided Belarus," the bishops are sure.

They appealed to Catholics and all people of good will to "continue to offer their prayers for an early and peaceful resolution of the crisis." "May good overcome evil," the representatives of the church wished.

On September 13, Pope Francis called on the authorities to ensure respect for human rights and civil liberties after the weekly Angelus Prayer, the Vatican's official news portal reported. The pontiff noted that "numerous popular protest demonstrations express the growing concern of civil society in the context of particularly critical political and social situations." He called on the demonstrators "to speak peacefully about their problems, not succumbing to the temptation of aggression and violence," and the state authorities "to listen to the voice of their fellow citizens and meet their legitimate aspirations."

Commenting on the words of the Pope, the vicar of Mahilieu and the Mahilieu region, Bishop Aliaksandr Yasheuski noted that "exactly this approach to solving the difficult socio-political situation in Belarus was proposed by the chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus, Archbishop Tadevush Kandrusevich, who has no opportunity to return to his homeland since August 31."

Bishop Yasheuski drew attention to the fact that Pope Francis did not name specific countries in his speech, but, in his words, what the head of the church said "can be fully attributed to the current situation in Belarus, where peaceful protests have been gathering hundreds of thousands of participants across the country for more than a month."