Pope Francis prays for Minsk’s evicted Red Church parish

May 17, BPN. Pope Francis was personally informed about the eviction of the Catholic parish of St. Simeon and St. Helena from the Red Church in central Minsk, says a letter from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

It is important to be able to freely practice the faith in any place, Chryścijanskaja Vizija initiative reported citing Pope Francis.

The Holy See assured the Red Church community of his special spiritual closeness and said the pope kept praying for the parish.

The relationship between the state and the Catholic Church in Belarus deteriorated after the 2020 disputed presidential election, as many Catholic priests and believers openly opposed the brutal crackdown on protests. Some priests have gone through politically-motivated arrests and trials while others were forced to leave Belarus.

In late September 2022, a fire alarm went off at the Red Church. The emergency ministry said that the fire damaged an area of about 20 sq. m. No one was injured, but the authorities locked the church, banning services in the church buildings and the courtyard.

In mid-February, parishioners and priests were able to see the interior of the Red Church, where they found no traces of fire, soot, or other visible damage.