Two Polish Catholic priests who had served for many years in the Brest Region have been forced to leave Belarus.

This was reported by the outlet Katolik.life.

As Bishop of Pinsk Antonii Demyanko said in his address to the faithful, the Pinsk Catholic Diocese did not receive approval from state authorities for the priests to continue their ministry. They are Father Adam Strachinski, who served as pastor for 11 years in Ivatsevichi, Kosava, and Volka, and Father Pavel Kruchek, who served for 13 years in Ivanava, Drahichyn, and Bezdezh. As a result, six parishes in three districts were left without priests.

Ordinary Antonii Demyanko noted that it is very difficult for the diocese to provide all parish communities with regular pastoral care.

“Today we are experiencing a period when there is a shortage of local pastors. We pray for vocations to the priestly ministry and support our seminarians. A long serving parish priest is leaving your parishes not of his own will. This is a pain for all of us,” the hierarch addressed the faithful of the six parishes that were left without pastors.

In the Pinsk Diocese, because of the acute shortage of priests, many priests are forced to serve several parishes at once in different and often remote settlements.

As LF reported, in Belarus, by decision of the KGB, the property of Catholic priest Henrikh Okolotovich has been seized and sold. The clergyman was convicted of “treason against the state” and after two years was released following a petition by the Vatican.

Earlier we wrote that in Belarus the number of religious communities decreased after re registration in accordance with the new legislation. In the Mogilev Region, after re registration, half of the Catholic parishes ceased their activity. In the Vitebsk Region, 85 Roman Catholic communities remain instead of the previous 94, and in the Brest Region, 60 instead of 66.

It should be recalled that last year a law on the re registration of religious organizations came into force in Belarus. According to experts, the aim of the law is to purge structures that are not loyal to the authorities.