Catholic World News News Feature

Church in Belarus weighs order to withdraw foreign clergy October 02, 2007

Catholic leaders in Belarus are doing their best to assess the impact of an announcement by vice-premier Aleksandr Kosinets that foreign clergy should leave the country, the Forum 18 news service reports.

With about 190 foreign-born priests and more than 100 foreign religious serving in the country, the Catholic Church is by far the religious community in Belarus which relies most heavily on foreign personnel. Kosinets told a September 19 round table with Belarus' religious leaders that the Catholic Church should end the use of foreign clergy over the next few years.

However, Forum 18 has been unable to determine whether Kosinets was making a recommendation or issuing an order.

"The vice-premier's words arouse questions and perplexities rather than outright concern," a senior Catholic told Forum 18. Religious affairs official Aleksandr Kalinov, who was also present at the round table, refused to tell Forum 18 if action will be taken if the Catholic Church does not end the use of foreign priests, but insisted: "No one is preparing to expel them."

The Catholic Church, like the Orthodox Church, also has a number of foreign-born bishops in Belarus.

[For a more detailed report see the Forum 18 web site.]