February 10, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has asked to convey his “best wishes” to Pope Francis at his meeting with Belarus’ religious leaders in Minsk, his press office reports.
“He is a really tough man. A man who does not just live and serve. He is straightforward when addressing people of all walks of life,” he said, hoping for an eventual meeting with the pontiff.
Belarusian authorities have repeatedly pointed out similarities in the positions of Minsk and the Vatican. Some experts say that Łukašenka wants to use contacts with the Holy See to resume dialogue with the West.
Plans for diplomatic rapprochement include the opening of the Belarusian embassy to the Vatican this year.
Łukašenka visited the Vatican twice, most recently in May 2016 when he met Pope Francis.
After the contested 2020 presidential election, the relationship between the state and the Roman Catholic Church deteriorated as many clerics and faithful openly condemned violence and reprisals against peaceful protesters. Priests were arrested, tried and jailed, while some have fled Belarus.
At least 86 preachers, including 31 Catholic priests, faced politically-motivated persecution since 2020, the Chryscijanskaja Vizija monitoring group said.
Catholicism is the second-largest Christian denomination in Belarus. There are about 1.5 million Catholics, including more than 10,000 Greek Catholics.
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