New Bishop Consecrated for Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

Two hierarchs associated with one of the schisms from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, one of them formerly under the Kiev Patriarchate (more on that here), and the head of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Bishop Sviataslau (Lohin) of Navahrudak, have consecrated Archimandrite Serafim (Chykity) as Bishop of Vilnius to assist Bishop Sviatoslav in his shepherding of the 10 parishes of the BAOC in Belarus and the Belorussian Diaspora. The consecration took place in Brooklyn's Cathedral of St. Cyril of Turov. More (in Belorussian) here.

Belorussian Orthodox Discuss Sectarian Activities

Representatives of the dioceses of the Belorussian Orthodox Church have met in Minsk to discuss the activities and growth of sects and cults in Belarus, their beliefs, and the Church's response to them. More (in Russian) here.

Belorussian Orthodox Local Synod Glorifies St. Cyprian Klimuts, Establishes Department for Cossack Relations

The Local Synod of the Belorussian Orthodox Church met late last week in Polotsk, Belarus, to discuss internal issues in the life of the Church. Among other things the Local Synod glorified St. Cyprian Klimuts and blessed the establishment of a department to regulate the Church's relations with Belarus' Cossacks. More (in Russian) here.

Belorussian Orthodox Glorify New Saint

This past Friday Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeyev) of Minsk led services glorifying the New Hieromartyr Constantine (Zhdanov) of Disna, whose glorification was recently blessed by the Local Synod of the Belorussian Orthodox Church in light of the 2007 discovery that the Saint's relics were incorrupt. Metropolitan Philaret was joined in the services by many of the other hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in Belarus. More here and (in Russian) here.

Pictured is St. Constantine prior to his martyrdom in 1919.

Conference Held for Belorussian Cossacks

Moscow's Donskoy Monastery has hosted a conference for the atamans and clergy serving the Cossack community in Belarus. Following a supplication (молебен) in the Donskoy Monastery's cathedral Bishop Kirill of Stavropol', chairman of the Russian Orthodox Synodal Commission for Cooperation with the Cossacks, said in part that, "The Cossacks today will not only spiritually revive, but will also protect the Orthodox Faith in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church...and, if necessary, give their lives, as our ancestors did, for the Faith." More (in Russian) here.

St. Leontius of Vilnius Glorified in Minsk

This past Sunday Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeyev) of the Belorussian Orthodox Church celebrated the glorification of Archimandrite St. Leontius (Karpovich) of Vilnius, a widely venerated saint in Belarus who led the resistance to the Union of Brest in what today is Lithuania and Belarus. The glorification was concelebrated by hierarchs of the Belorussian Orthodox Church and many clergy from the Orthodox Churches in Belarus and Lithuania. More (in Russian) here.

Minsk Prepares to Celebrate Metropolitan Melchizedek (Paevsky)

This coming week the Belorussian Orthodox Church will be organizing events in honor of Metropolitan Melchizedek (Paevsky) of Minsk, a prominent hierarch in the post-Soviet history of the Orthodox Church in Belarus. Metropolitan Melchizedek was elected to the Eparchy of Minsk after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1921 and quickly became popular in Belarus for his preaching and service to his flock.

To protect the Belorussian Orthodox faithful from the warring pro-German, Polish, and Soviet factions then present in the region Metropolitan Melchizedek declared the Belorussian Orthodox Church self-governing in 1922 (the tiny Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church claims to date from this time, though in actuality it was organized with Nazi support during World War II). Metropolitan Melchizedek later returned to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and reposed and was buried in Moscow in 1931.

More (in Belorussian) on Metropolitan Melchizedek's life and the upcoming events in Minsk commemorating him can be found here.

Roman Catholics Seek Return of Mogilev Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Church in Belarus is seeking the return of its former cathedral in the eastern city of Mohilev, which was confiscated from the Church during the Soviet era. More here.

Belorussian Orthodox Church, Ministry of Education Sign Agreement

The Belorussian government and the Belorussian Orthodox Church have signed an agreement on cooperation in their educational efforts. More here.

Meeting of Belorussian Orthodox Local Synod

At the meeting of the Local Synod of the Belorussian Orthodox Church yesterday it was decided to glorify a saint who struggled against the Unia, Archimandrite Leontius (Karpovich) of Vilnius, and to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. In addition to the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus the meeting was also attended by high ranking officials of the Belorussian government. More here.

Belorussian Dissident Wants Confessor

Tatsyana Sevyarynets, mother of jailed Belorussian dissident Pavel Sevyarynets, is pushing for the KGB to allow her son access to a priest for confession as its post-USSR regulations allow. More here.

Construction of Turov Cathedral Continues

Construction continues on the Cathedral of Sts. Cyril and Lawrence of Turov in the Belorussian city of Turov. Although the city has served as the seat of an eparchy of the Church of Rus' for centuries, it wasn't until the founding of Sts. Cyril and Lawrence's that the city had its own cathedral. More here.

Maslenitsa!

Across the lands of the old Russian Empire the festival week of Maslenitsa, observed throughout the Orthodox Christian world as the last week to eat animal products (excluding meat) before the start of Lent, has begun. More about the ongoing celebrations in Russia can be found here. Yours personally with be celebrating with an eclectic mix of kefir, phad thai, ice cream, and Moroccan flan :-). Enjoy!

Belorussian Orthodox Youth Association Meets

The Youth Association of the Belorussian Orthodox Church met today in central Belarus. Attended by 150 representatives from all the dioceses of the Orthodox Church in Belarus, the Association meeting was opened by Bishop Artemiy of Hrodno with a greeting from Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeyev) of Minsk and All Belarus. More here.

Pro-Life Movement in Belarus Growing

Despite its many internal issues and challenges, Belarus is home to a strong and growing pro-life movement, which seeks to help solve the problem of the country's low fertility rate by reducing the number of abortions, which peaked in 1994 at over 65% of all pregnancies and now hovers just below 30% of all pregnancies. More here.

Lukashenko Denies Existence of Human Rights Issues

In a recent address to the Belorussian National Assembly President Alexander Lukashenko denied the existence of problems for ethnic, sexual, or religious minorities in Belarus. Belarus has been criticized for years for its maintenance of a Soviet-style dictatorship since the 1991 collapse of the USSR and its suppression of the human rights of its ethnic minorities, particularly those of the Polish population in western Belarus. More here.

Independent Belarus or Soviet Belorussia?

Although it's been nearly twenty years since the collapse of the USSR the Belorussian government continues to harass religious groups and discourage Orthodox Christians' veneration of the New Martyrs of the Soviet Yoke. Unlike Russia, where churches remembering the New Martyrs have been built on multiple sites, in Belarus plans to build a memorial church on the site of a mass grave from Stalin's era have yet to be carried out. The KGB, which has retained its original name in the country, has also attempted to have icons of the New Martyrs removed from churches in Belarus. More on this and the treatment of other religious minorities can be found here.