{"id":208712,"date":"2026-10-23T16:37:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T13:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208712\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T16:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T13:51:14","slug":"viciebsk-judge-orders-dissolution-of-greek-catholic-parish-in-orsa","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208712\/","title":{"rendered":"Viciebsk judge orders dissolution of Greek Catholic parish in Or\u0161a"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (katolik.life)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

October 23, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>The Viciebsk Regional Court has ordered the dissolution of a Greek Catholic Parish in Or\u0161a, Viciebsk region. The ruling was made on July 1, but katolik.life <\/em>reported it only now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city\u2019s Greek Catholic community did not have its own church and gathered at the local Roman Catholic church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church unites Christians who entered into full communion with the See of Rome through the Union of Brest in the late 16th century while retaining the Byzantine liturgy. It was \u201cmost severely\u201d affected by the re-registration of religious communities and faced unprecedented political pressure, leaving it unable to declare enough parishes to register as a religious association, according to Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, the Belarusian Greek Catholics lost access to \u201ca whole range of aspects of religious freedom, which in today\u2019s Belarus are reserved only for religious associations,\u201d the activists said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the end of re-registration in July 2025, 12 Greek Catholic parishes have remained in Belarus. Four of them operate in Minsk, two in Viciebsk, and one each in Hrodna, Mahilo\u016d, Homiel, Ma\u0142adzie\u010dna in the Minsk region, Po\u0142ack in the Viciebsk region and Lida in the Hrodna region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian government dissolved at least 2,078 NGOs, including associations, trade unions and foundations, between the 2020 presidential election and September 30, 2026, Lawtrend, a nonprofit, said in a recent report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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