Foreign clergymen under control

The Council of Ministers of Belarus approved a regulation on order of invitation of foreign citizens and stateless persons for religious activity in Belarus.

“Religious communities have right to invite foreigners to Belarus for religious activity in coordination with authorised person for religions and nationalities for a term of maximum a year,” Interfax learnt on Thursday from the regulation of the Council of Ministers.

As Mikhail Rybakou, spokesman of the office of religions and nationalities, said to Radio Svaboda, “a religious organisation should give grounds who, for what purpose and for what term it invites. If there are not enough local clergymen, we approve a candidate and examine the documents.”

According to him, a clergyman will need to have a number of documents, confirming his qualification to get permission for religious activity in Belarus. An application won’t be considered in absence of at least one document.

By the way, an authorised person on religion and nationalities can refuse an applicant without assigning any reasons, that contradicts with the article 29 of the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religion.”

At this date, nearly a half of the clergymen working in Belarus are foreign citizens. There are not enough local catholic and protestant priests.