Belarus Supreme Court Seals Fate of Last Greek Catholic Parishes in Brest Region Amid Crackdown

Belarus’ Supreme Court rejected appeal, liquidating all three Greek Catholic parishes in Brest. Officials silent as faithful face worship ban under repressive Religion Law.

Newsroom (22/04/2026 Gaudium Press) In a decisive blow to religious minorities, Belarus’ Supreme Court in Minsk on April 9, 2026, rejected the final appeal from the Greek Catholic Parish of the Brother Apostles Saints Peter and Andrew in Brest, upholding its liquidation by Brest Regional Court. This ruling effectively ended the legal existence of all three previously registered Greek Catholic parishes in the Brest Region—in Brest, Baranovichi, and Ivatsevichi—leaving their activities illegal and punishable under the regime’s strict controls.

Historical Parishes Fall to Re-Registration Purge

These parishes, first registered in the 1990s, converted homes into places of worship and endured for decades, including the Brest parish’s facade consecration in 2016 by Apostolic Visitor Sergei Gajek. Under the repressive Religion Law effective July 5, 2024, all over 3,500 registered communities faced mandatory re-registration by July 5, 2025, with failures leading to court-ordered liquidation. Brest Regional Executive Committee rejected their 2025 applications, deeming them non-compliant, and initiated suits: Ivatsevichi’s Zhirovitsy Mother of God Parish on December 23, 2025; Baranovichi’s Saints Cyril and Methodius on February 17, 2026; and Brest’s following soon after.

Court officials stonewalled inquiries, with chancellery and Civil Cases Division staff refusing details on initiators or dates. As of April 10, state registries listed two parishes “in process of liquidation” and Brest’s as “functioning,” though the Supreme Court appeal dashed that status.

Official Silence and Faithful’s Plight

Supreme Court press secretary Yuliya Lyaskova ignored written questions on hearing openness, decision finality, and enforcement timeline. Pavel Bobruk, Head of Ideology, Religious and Ethnic Affairs at Brest Regional Executive Committee, dismissed queries on liquidation motives and worship alternatives, citing his state role before hanging up.

The unofficial Greek Catholic Telegram channel Carkva entrusted the faithful to the Mother of God and Belarusian martyrs, while Katolik.life highlighted the irony: Brest, birthplace of the 1596 Union of Brest birthing Greek Catholicism, now bans its practice. Any unregistered activity risks Criminal Code Article 193-1 penalties: fines or up to two years’ imprisonment.

Linked Expulsions and Worship Barriers

In Ivatsevichi, post-liquidation, Roman Catholic Fr. Adam Straczyński—a Polish citizen of 11 years’ service—invited Greek Catholics to his church, but Plenipotentiary Aleksandr Rumak denied his license renewal, forcing departure in March 2026. Believers suspect retaliation, as joint photos vanished post-expulsion; Katolik.life noted no illegality in the gesture. Similarly, Fr. Paweł Kruczek, after nearly 20 years, faced expulsion, decried as “painful” by Bishop Antoni Dziemianko.

In Minsk, Catholics couldn’t commemorate Edvard Vainilovich—financier of the Red Church (Saints Simon and Helena)—at his tomb on April 10, marking a decade since his Servant of God declaration. Closed since a 2022 suspicious fire, Minsk Heritage rebuffed Fr. Vladislav Zavalnyuk’s access pleas, citing reconstruction; he plans a June 11 bid for the tomb’s 30th repatriation anniversary.

Broader Crackdown: Declining Registrations, Extremist Labels

Re-registration slashed communities: Gomel from 419 to 380, Grodno 491 to 455, Minsk City 159 to 153, Mogilev 299 to 237, Vitebsk 565 to 492; Brest and Minsk regions unknown from 772 and 714. National level: at most 158 re-registered versus 173 pre-law. Christian Vision attributes some to natural decline, like inactive parishes.

The regime escalated “extremist” bans: March 23, Novopolotsk Court hit Belarusian Christian Democracy’s Facebook; April 2, Vitebsk court targeted Christian Vision’s Dzmitry Korneyenko’s VK page. KGB banned Christian Vision and leaders Natallia Vasilevich, Natallia Harkovich, Korneyenko on April 1, 2025; Interior Ministry listed it April 8. Risks include Administrative Code Article 19.11 fines or Criminal Code Articles 361-1, 361-4 imprisonment for engagement.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from Forum 18

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