First ever Papal blessing parchment in Belarusian

Pope Francis has sent the first ever document to Belarus in the Belarusian language, BelTA learnt from the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus.

The document was handed over to Belarusian Yadviga Pasternak from the village of Mulyary, Vileika District. The document is dated 11 October 2013 and represents a letter of gratitude for the service to the Church.

According to the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus, Yadviga was the ninth child in the family and was born in the village she still lives. In the time of persecution the woman kept the cross from the chapel that was pulled down by the Soviet authorities in the 1960s. Apart from that Yadviga Pasternak brought people together to hold services ahead of big religious feasts. “Starting from 1949, Yadviga, together with other church-goers, attended funerals, prayed and sprinkled holy water on graves. At that time it was the only form of Christian funerals,” the church said. The woman prayed for both Catholic and Orthodox believers.

The document was solemnly handed to Yadviga Pasternak by Apostolic Nuncio (Vatican Ambassador) Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti.