Vital Rymasheuski: Lukashenka will not manage to subdue Belarusian Christians

Despite the claims of support to the church, the dictator continues repressions against it.

This is how the co-chairman of the organizational committee for creation of the party Belarusian Christian Democracy (BChD) Vital Rymasheuski commented for the charter97.org web-site on Lukashenka’s statement saying that “church should actively participate in state affairs”.

“In the course of several years the Lukashenka regime has been suppressing and oppressing believers. Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant priests and believers are persecuted for any civic activities, leave alone political. That is why the practice contradicts Lukashenka’s statements saying that everything is well between the state and the church. Christians get discriminated as an organized and powerful part of Belarus’ third sector”, - he emphasized.

The politician added that the number and contribution of the church organizations of all denominations to civic activities are huge.

“In Russia the state tries to subdue the church and make it follow the orders by the authorities. But the Belarusian Orthodox Church in all these year, including under metropolitan Filaret, has been trying to avoid extreme political influence. I think, in future too the church will avoid being pulled into politics and subordinate to state institutions”, - Vital Rymasheuski believes.

We would remind that during yesterday’s meeting with the metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk patriarch’s exarch of Belarus Pavel the Belarusian ruler claimed that he wanted active participation of the church in state affairs.