Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed an open letter to Pope Francis: “Fraternal Society: A Vision For a New Belarus”.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has sent an open letter to the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, in response to his new encyclical Fratelli Tutti (All Brothers), published on October 3. The encyclical, directed not only to Catholics but also to all Christians and people of good will, is devoted to the issues of the social and political structure of society. Pope Francis, following St. Francis of Assisi, whose name the Pontiff bears, offers his vision of a society of brotherhood and a civilization of love based on recognizing the dignity of each person. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reflects on Belarus in the light of Fratelli Tutti and calls on Pope Francis to support Belarusians in their aspiration for “good politics” and “social friendship,” which the encyclical refers to.
At the beginning of the letter, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya tells the Pope how Belarus came to the summer 2020. She states that the Belarusian society, traumatized by wars, repressions and the Chernobyl disaster, chose a government in the 90s that “promised stability and security. As it turned out, this was at the cost of freedom, the right to elect, and independence. ” For a quarter of a century, Belarusians have repeatedly tried to change the unjust order, but the society remained too fragmented and atomized. Paradoxically, it was during the coronavirus pandemic that the Belarusian people felt the power of solidarity and self-organization, particularly against the background of the state’s passivity and indifference. Inspired by this experience — the experience of a “fraternity society” that already exists here and now, thanks to solidarity and love, big changes that result from small actions of each person, Belarusians believed in the future and got involved in the process of changes also in the political sphere. Despite threats, pressure, persecution, all sorts of obstacles, including the arrest of alternative candidates for the presidency, they united in the demand for transparent and fair elections.
One of the key images of the Fratelli Tutti encyclical is the injured wanderer from the parable of Jesus Christ about the merciful Samaritan. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya compares this wanderer with the Belarusian people after the elections. The authorities first robbed Belarusians by stealing their votes. And when they took to the streets to peacefully express their protest, the authorities choose violence, humiliation and tortures. However, society did not respond to the state aggression in kind. Instead, people from different social and professional groups continued to protest peacefully. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stresses the role of women in this process. She quotes the Orthodox and Catholic bishops Artsemiy (Kishchenko) and Yuri Kasabucky, who, referring the Belarusian women protesting, recalled the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Do not be defeated by evil, but conquer evil with good!”
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya writes how Belarusian Christians of different confessions are looking for a way out of the political crisis. The ministers of Christian churches do not stop calling to end violence, release the prisoners, and begin a dialogue. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant communities hold public prayers for peace in Belarus in churches and on the streets. They provide assistance to victims, try to establish contacts between the church, the state and civil society. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya notes that believers of different traditions often act, pray and work together.
At the same time, the churches of Belarus share with the rest of society the suffering it endures in its struggle for justice. In her letter, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives the names of many priests and believers who have become victims of state repressions in recent months. This is Vladimir Drobyshevski, an Orthodox priest, who took to the streets of Gomel with a poster “Stop the violence!” and was sentenced to 25 days in prison. These are Bishop Yuri Kasabucky and Father Sergiy Lepin, who publicly condemned the destruction of the memorial in memory of Raman Bandarenka and were brought to the prosecutor’s office and given warnings for “incitement to hatred.” This is Elena Gnauk, a Christian activist from Brest, who knelt between protesters and security officials, praying for peace, but was imprisoned several times in a row. This is Viachaslau Barok, a Catholic priest from Rasony, who boldly testifies on the Internet about the social doctrine of the church and his civic position, for which he is persecuted (at the time of the publication of the letter, he was sentenced to 10 days in prison).
Particular attention is paid to Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, who was one of the first to call on the authorities for dialogue and an end to violence, after which he was illegally barred from returning to the country to his flock. Now he is in exile. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stresses the role and significance of Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz as an “authentic mediator”, who acted as a representative of such a church “that serves, that leaves home and leaves its places of worships, leaves its sacristy to accompany life, maintain hope, be a sign of unity, build bridges, tear down walls, sow the seeds of reconciliation. ”
Despite all the pressure, the Belarusian protest continues to be peaceful. The words of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti about “millions of different actions, great and small, which are creatively harmonized, like words in a poem” fit it well. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ends her appeal to the Pope with questions and a request to raise the voice: “Will the voice of the Church and the voice of the people be able to break through the armored windows of cars, through the shields of the police, through the disabled Internet? What prophetic word has the power to tear down these walls and build bridges? On behalf of Belarusian people, we ask for Your holy prayers and Your genuine word of truth and justice, which will be a blessing for all of us.”
The full text of the letter is available in Russian, Belarusian and English.
