Pope Francis’ special envoy to take part in 2023 Budsłaŭ Fest

May 25, BPN. Traditional celebrations in honor of the Budsłaŭ Icon of Our Lady will be held from June 30 to July 1, the Belarusian Roman Catholic Church’s website says.

Listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, the fest will mark the 25th anniversary of the icon’s coronation.

Pope Francis’ legate, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, currently serving as a prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, will attend the festivities in the Minsk region. From 2011 to 2015, Gugerotti had served as apostolic nuncio to Belarus.

In May 2021, a major fire broke out in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Budsłaŭ, 120 kilometers north of Minsk, causing the shrine’s roof to collapse. The roof was repaired the same year, and the first mass after the incident was celebrated in late 2021. The Roman Catholic Church said it would take years to fully restore the basilica.