In Belarus, Roman Catholic priests from Poland are being forced to leave the country

A difficult situation has arisen in Belarus for clergy of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) of Polish origin: the authorities are denying many of them extensions of their permits to continue their pastoral ministry. Priests with many years of service in the country are forced to either leave the country or seek ways to legalize their status by obtaining Belarusian citizenship. This was reported by Katolik.life.

The mass exodus of clergy began on July 2. Among those forced to end their ministry was Father Marian Shershen, dean of the Stolbtsy deanery, who served in Belarus for 36 years and made a significant contribution to the restoration of the local church in Naliboki. Father Lech Bahanek, who has served for more than 25 years, faced similar difficulties, as well as Father Bogusław Madziejewski, dean of the Myadel Deanery, and Father Zbigniew Dragula of the Order of St. Michael, who worked in the Grodno Diocese for 27 years.

“Some Polish priests, in order to remain in the country, intend to apply for Belarusian citizenship, since in that case they would no longer need a separate permit to minister,” the article notes. At present, many of the clergy whose permits have expired are forced to temporarily suspend public religious activities until the issue of their legal status is resolved. The publication also emphasizes that these are not the first instances in which foreign priests have been denied the right to remain in the country after a long period of service.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Vatican took decisive measures against the traditionalist “Society of St. Pius X” (SSPX), officially declaring a schism after the group ordained four new bishops without the consent of the Pope.