Belarus’ top Catholic cleric to attend Pope’s funeral in Vatican :: Charter'97 :: News

Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus, on Tuesday will head to Vatican to attend Pope John Paul II’s funeral scheduled for April 7. The 90-year-old cardinal will not be able to propose his candidacy as a new pontiff because of the age restrictions, Antony Klimatovich, pastor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Minsk, told BelaPAN.

Cardinal Swiatek is likely to address the Belarusian Catholics in connection with the pontiff’s decease upon his return from Vatican.

According to the pastor, few Belarusian pilgrims will manage to arrive in Italy to attend the funeral because of visa formalities. “If Belarus had such open borders as European countries have, many believers would have gone to Vatican to pay a last tribute to John Paul II. But we have an absolutely different situation and no citizen of the country will manage to obtain several visas within one day if we speak about travelling there by train or car. There’s a Minsk-Rome flight once in two days,” the pastor said.

Catholic churches across Belarus have been holding memorial services to honor the deceased Pope.

Noting John Paul II’s great contribution to the activities of the Catholic Church and other denominations, the pastor expressed certainty that the pontiff would have an “even greater influence on the minds and hearts of people after his death.”