Over ten Polish priests are being expelled from Belarus. Mogilev has already bid farewell to its parish priest — and the project for a new church
Despite public meetings with Catholic hierarchs and declarations of "mutual understanding and harmony," Belarus is increasingly not extending permits for religious activity to foreign priests. The authorities of the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese have appealed to Alexander Lukashenka.
As reported by the "Christian Vision" channel, five Catholic priests and one monk with Polish citizenship in the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese have been denied an extension of their permits to serve in Belarus. According to the channel's information, the authorities did not approve the continued activities of Father Lech Bachanek, parish priest in Ivenets; Father Marian Sherhan, dean of the Stolbtsy deanery; Father Bohuslav Madzeyevsky, dean of the Myadel deanery; Father Pavel Lyalita, parish priest in Naroch; Father Sobeslav Tamala, parish priest in Soligorsk; and Capuchin monk Brother Wojciech Wróblewski.
Earlier reports also mentioned permit denials for three Polish priests in the Vitebsk and two in the Pinsk dioceses.
On August 15, during Holy Mass in the Mogilev Cathedral, parishioners bid farewell to the Polish Dominican priest Father Roman Shults. He also did not receive permission for further activity in Belarus and must leave the country. Father Roman Shults served in Belarus since 2007, and from 2012, he was the administrator of the Parish of Saints Casimir and Jadwiga in Mogilev. He is known as the founder and organizer of the annual Rosary Congress.
The farewell Mass was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus, Archbishop Ignazio Ceffalia, Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev Archbishop Jozef Staniewski, and Vicar General of the Diocese Bishop Alexander Yashevsky.
His departure, as reported by katolik.life, calls into question the further existence of the Dominican community in the city. For the order to continue its activities, it needs to have at least two monks, which becomes impossible under conditions of an acute shortage of priests. The project for the construction of a new Dominican church and monastery in Mogilev's "Kazimirauka" microdistrict, which became known in autumn 2025, will now be suspended.
As "Christian Vision" reports, in connection with the mass non-extensions of permits, Metropolitan Jozef Staniewski sent a petition to Alexander Lukashenka.
On the eve of the farewell mass, August 14, the Apostolic Nuncio and Belarusian Catholic hierarchs held an official meeting with the authorities of the Mogilev region and the city of Mogilev. As reported by the Catholic.by portal, during the round table, issues of "strengthening peace and harmony, interfaith dialogue, and preserving historical memory" were discussed.
Natalia Dashkova, head of the ideological work department of the Mogilev regional executive committee, noted in her speech that the Church is a "reliable partner" of the authorities in patriotic education and strengthening traditional values. The issue of non-extension of permits for foreign priests was not mentioned in the official reports of the meeting.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
SUPPORT US
Comments