Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I warmly welcome the release of Belarusian priests Fr. Henrykh (Henadz) Akalatovich and Fr. Andrzej Yukhnevich. This is a truly important step that restores hope to their families, parishioners, and all those who prayed for their freedom. Their release is a reminder that solidarity, international attention, and action matter.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Pope Leo and the Holy See for their consistent and principled position, their moral support, and their ongoing efforts to protect Belarusian clergy and believers. We remember and highly appreciate the public steps taken by the Vatican, including our participation in the farewell to Pope Francis, contacts with the Apostolic Nunciature in Vilnius, and other gestures of solidarity.
It is important to note that many countries around the world continue to persecute people and still have political prisoners. The fact that the Vatican pays attention to Belarus has become possible thanks to the continuous work of the country’s civil society and democratic forces, the efforts of believers, and civic solidarity, which draws international attention to human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis in our country.
At the same time, I emphasize that we maintain constant and systematic engagement with the Holy See, both publicly and through non-public diplomatic channels. The issue of releasing the priests and all unlawfully imprisoned Belarusians is one of the key topics in our contacts. We regularly raise it at all levels of interaction with the Vatican.
But our work continues. Other believers and people of faith, who have become victims of repression, remain behind bars. We insist that all imprisoned believers be released and that the persecution of the Church and any religious communities be brought to an end. No one should be imprisoned for their faith, moral choices, or service to others.
I thank the Holy See for its spiritual and human leadership. We deeply value every initiative and every step that brings us closer to the day when there will be no political prisoners in Belarus – neither clergy nor laity.
Belarus must be a country where faith is respected, not punished; where priests serve the people, not meet them through prison bars. And it will certainly become such a country”.
