Issue 8 (38), 2013 RELIGION IN BELARUS: LIMITED INDEPENDENCE Since the concept of secular state has become a issue of “The Bell” is dedicated to answer these standard in a Western world long time ago, the questions. position of the Church is not very much discussed while speaking about the political issues. How- In the first article Anton Radniankou analyses the ever, there are tendencies of the rising interest of three biggest confessions in Belarus and reveals the Putin’s regime on involving Russian Orthodox their connection with the regime. He states, that Church to strengthening its power. while the Orthodox Church is the most familiar Anton Radniankou is a project to the government, Protestants are the least loyal manager of the Local Foundation And we might find similar approach of the Belar- to A.Lukashenka. “Interakcia”. He also edits intellec- usian regime. A.Lukashenka calls the Orthodox tual online magazine IdeaBY. Church as the main ideologist of the statehood, In the second article Natallia Vasilevich takes while remaining a non-believer – some kind of a deeper look into relations between Orthodox Natallia Vasilevich is a politi- strange “Orthodox atheist” composition. More- Church and the regime. She finds out that there cal scientist, lawyer and theolo- over, the Russian Orthodox Church authorities are different groups among the Church branches, gian. She is director of Centre have a direct influence on the Belarusian Church, which position ranges from pro-Russian to pro- “Ecumena” and editor of website forming its shape and ideology. It is clear that Nationalist wings. All in all, it is mostly influ- “Carkwa”. other confessions are less handy to Lukashenka enced by authorities in Moscow and the political but their situation remains unclear. Thus, this regime of Belarus. Vytautas Keršanskas, Editor REGIME AND CHURCHES: WHAT IS THEREBETWEEN? Anton Radniankou Belarusians’ attitude towards religion is unique. ferent, shares of particular religions are almost On one hand, Belarus is one of the least religious the same. countries of the world, according to findings of Gallup Belarus. On the other hand, a number of Confession (religion) Share studies suggest that the church enjoys the high- est level of trust among Belarusians. Though Orthodoxy 82,5 % unreligious, Belarusians find church’s role im- Catholicism 12 % portant. Protestant churches 2 % There are no accurate statistics of believers in Other religions (Islam, Judaism, 4 % Krishnaites, etc.) Belarus. The religion is not a mandatory ques- CONTENTS tion during official censuses under the legisla- Source: The Commissioner on Religions and Ethnicities 1 tion. Therefore, any statistics are based on sur- veys, hardly fully adequate to issues of belief. The level of trust in the Orthodox Church in RELIGION IN BELARUS: LIMITED Belarus is higher than that in the government INDEPENDENCE According to the studies of the Informational and personally A.Lukashenka, something that 1 and Analytical Center under the Presidential makes the Church a potentially significant po- REGIME AND CHUR CHES: WHAT Administration, 93.5 per cent of Belarusian litical actor. As different churches have different levels of influence and represent different world IS THEREBETWEEN? citizens associate themselves with a certain reli- gion, though only 65 per cent of Belarusians be- views, the authorities have different attitudes to- 3 lieve in God. These findings are in contradiction wards them. ORTHODOX CHURCH IN with the data provided by the Commissioner BELARUS: BETWEEN THE on Religions and Ethnicities, stating that only Joined at the hip RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 58.9 per cent of population associate themselves with some confession. Though a share of those Aliaksandr Lukashenka calls the Orthodox AND BELARUSIAN SOCIETY who reported a link with some religion is dif- Church “the main ideologist of the Belaru- 1 Issue 8 (38), 2013 sian statehood” and declares that he has never for activities of priests coming from abroad. separated the Church from the state, since he Under the lead of Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the Calling himself an “Ortho- believes that “they are sharing the same task”. Catholics have been holding mass rallies in Be- dox atheist”, the head of Calling himself an “Orthodox atheist”, the head larusian cities increasingly often, with growing the state has established of the state has established strong links with the numbers of people taking part in pilgrim pro- strong links with the Or- Orthodox Church during the years of his rule. cessions. thodox Church during the years of his rule. The Church supports Lukashenka’s regime and The fact that the Catholic Church holds masses receives funds for construction of temples in in Belarusian is also a problem for the Belarusian return. In 2003, Belarus and the Belarusian government. Given the rapid Russification in Be- Orthodox Church signed a cooperation agree- larus, with even the history of Belarus transferred ment, resulting in Mitropolit Filaret’s support to to Russian in schools, the Russian language is still Lukashenka during the referendum’2004 on an banned for masses in the Catholic Church. The opportunity for the President to be re-elected government is concerned about all these facts. for an unlimited number of terms. The Belarusian authorities would care much less However, the Orthodox Church of Belarus can- about these problems, if they had influence on not be fully loyal to the government. Being in the Catholic Church similar to that they exert fact a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, on the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Or- the Belarusian Orthodox Church is Belarusian thodox Church. The increasing activeness of the only by name. Notably, the Belarusian Auto- Catholic Church irritates the regime. cephalous Orthodox Church does not possess a legal registration in Belarus. The only temple As a result, two criminal investigations were attempted to construct by it was demolished for launched, one against a Catholic priest and anoth- formal reasons. er against a Catholic activist. The priest is suspect- ed in espionage, with no details shared neither by Though not formally announced, the willing- the government, nor by the Church. The activist ness of today’s leadership of the Russian Ortho- is prosecuted for creating a shelter for homeless dox Church to replace the Belarusian Mitropolit people. Having denied registration to the shelter, causes serious worries for the ruling elite of Be- authorities launched a criminal investigation for larus. The current Mitropolit is so loyal to the “activities on behalf of an unregistered organiza- Belarusian government that he has awarded the tion” (Article 193.1 of the Penal Code). Order of Saint Vladimir to Dzmitry Paulichen- ka, suspected by the international community The Catholic Church will probably try to main- in murders of Belarusian opposition leaders tain good relations with Lukashenka’s regime, back in 1999-2000. despite the prosecutions. It feels too week to confront the government. So far, at least. The symphony of the Orthodox Church and Be- larusian authorities is endangered not only by the Tough case for Belarusian government Russian influence. The Orthodox Church is be- coming increasingly assertive on issues of death Relations between the government and protes- penalty and abortions. Belarus cannot be positive tant churches are the coldest. The regime does about it, being the last state in Europe still execut- not register multiple protestant communities ing capital sentences and with almost one in four and obstruct their activities. pregnancies ending up in an abortion. An attempt by the authorities to move the New Cold and hot relations Life church out of their building is the most no- torious case. The believers had received a plot Formally, the Belarusian government is in good around a crumbling cowshed for perpetual use, relations with the Catholic Church. Lukashenka and built a temple there. The authorities wanted praises the Catholic Church’s role in improving to seize the building, something resulting in the relations with the West. During the dialogue most massive hunger strike in the history of Be- with the West in 2008-2010, he visited the Vati- larus. More than 200 believers went on hunger can and invited Benedict XVI to Belarus. The strike in 2006 for about a month. The authori- Belarusian Catholic Church stays off the poli- ties retreated, but attempts are still under way to tics, with Mitropolit Kondrusiewicz using his seize the temple. chance to stay silent even after the brutal crack- down on a post-electoral rally on 19 December, Some protestant churches actively participate in 2010. politics. The Bishop of Christians of Evangelical However, cold relations hide behind the screen Faith openly spoke against political persecution of mutual respect. The government does not re- of Dzmitry Dashkevich, a leader of the oppo- turn old temples to the Catholic Church, limits sitional Young Front. By the way, Dashkevich construction of new ones, and create obstacles is a member of the Pentecostal Church of John 2 Issue 8 (38), 2013 the Forerunner, as well as other leaders of op- The Belarusian regime is likely to continue attempts Approaches of Lukash- positional Young Front, Belarusian Christian to ‘educate’ Catholics and Protestants and to make Democracy, and Conservative Christian Party them more loyal; however, the Orthodox Church is enka’s regime to Christian of BPF. also a threat. Russia will try to replace the aging Mit- churches differ, though ropolit Filaret (born in 1935) by a more pro-Russian an ambition to control is Protestant churches are the least controlled by Mitropolit. Activeness of the Catholic Church has what they all have in com- the government, therefore are exposed to the provoked the Orthodoxes to be more active and to mon biggest pressure. Regardless of the government’s openly oppose abortions and the death penalty. resistance, Protestants are the most rapidly growing confession in Belarus, causing serious It is not worth expecting Christian churches concerns for the authorities.