Belarus: Whether members of the Greek Rite Catholic Church could receive state protection; update to BYS32235.E (2000-2002)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 18 June 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BYS39281.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Belarus: Whether members of the Greek Rite Catholic Church could receive state protection; update to BYS32235.E (2000-2002), 18 June 2002, BYS39281.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be1810.html [accessed 26 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on state protection beyond that found in Country Reports 2001 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. There are, however, reports that the current government restricts religious freedoms (International Religious Freedom Report for 2001 26 Oct. 2001). According to the US International Religious Freedom Report for 2001,
The Lukashenka regime treats the Greek Catholic Church with disfavor because of its emphasis on the use of the Belarusian language as well as historical tensions between the Greek Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches (ibid, sec.1).
This report further states that some religious faiths have difficulty in renting or purchasing property and in openly training their clergy (ibid, sec.2).
The Keston Institute reports that new amendments to existing legislation were sent to parliament on 31 May 2002 (Keston News Service 28 May 2002b) that will require "leaders of all religious organizations to be citizens of Belarus" (Keston News Service 28 May 2002a). Keston also states that this will "create problems for the Catholic Church, the second largest faith in Belarus with more than 430 parishes, most of whose 285 priests are foreign citizens" (ibid).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
International Religious Freedom Report for 2001. 26 October 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
Keston News Service. 28 May 2002a. "Religious Censorship And Compulsory Re-Registration Under the New Law."
_____. 28 May 2002b. " Religion Law Goes to Parliament."
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
Lexis/Nexis
World News Connection
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International Country Report - Belarus
Catholic.net
Christian Science Monitor
Human Rights Without Frontiers
International Coalition for Religious Freedom
Orthodox Christian Information Center
Religious Freedom Page, the
