March 29, Pozirk. The Minsk police will increase vigilance during the Catholic Easter celebrations this weekend, paying special attention to traffic near the places of worship, its press office reports.
Catholicism is the second-largest Christian denomination in Belarus. There are about 1.5 million Catholics in the country.
The relationship between the Belarusian authorities and the Catholic Church has become more complicated after the 2020 disputed presidential election, as many Catholic priests and believers openly opposed the brutal crackdown on protests.
According to Chryścijanskaja Vizija, a group that monitors reprisals against Christians in Belarus, at least 73 priests, including 25 Roman Catholics and five Greek Catholics, have been targeted by reprisals since 2020. Some of them were forced to leave Belarus.
Also read: Catholic activist in custody for alleged public disorder
