Belarussian archbishop has been blocked from re-entering his country
Catholic bishops across Europe have expressed support for an archbishop who was refused entry to his homeland of Belarus. In a recent statement, the presidency of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe said it hoped that Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz would be allowed to return home immediately.
The archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev was turned back by border guards when he attempted to return to Belarus on the 31st of August following a trip to Poland.
The incident occurred amid ongoing demonstrations in Belarus following a disputed presidential election that took place on the 9th of August. The incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko, claimed victory with 80% of the votes. His challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was detained after she complained to the electoral committee, then fled to Lithuania.
The CCEE statement was issued by its secretariat in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The organisation, which was officially established in 1971, has 39 members, comprising 33 bishops’ conferences, the Archbishops of Luxembourg, the Principality of Monaco, the Maronite archbishop of Cyprus, the bishop of Chişinău, Moldova, the eparchial bishop of Mukachevo, and the apostolic administrator of Estonia.
Source: pch24.pl
Image: catholicnewsagency.com
