Pope Francis appoints new bishop in Belarus


On June 9, 2015, Pope Francis appointed priest Alyaksandr Yasheuski, who previously worked in Minsk, Bishop of Minsk-Mahiliou.

Father Alyaksandr Yasheuski was born in 1974 in Smarhon. In 1991, he joined the Society of St. Francis de Sales. He studied philosophy at the Salesian Higher Theological Seminary in Lodz (Poland) and theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, Belarusian service of Radio Vatican reports.

He received Priestly ordination on June 24, 2000. He worked in the cities of Hrodna region – Baruny, Zhodzishki, Zhuprany. He spent several years in Russia. Since 2014, he has been the head of the Salesian community in Minsk.

Pope Francis appreciates Belarus, and on this occasion he “launched a machine that churns bishops”, said the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti in his comment on the appointment of a new bishop, krynica.info reports.

The Apostolic Nuncio also said that Bishop Alyaksandr Yasheuski will be responsible for the Mahiliou region. At the same time, he recalled that at the time, Mahiliou was the center of the largest Catholic diocese in the world, which covered all the Catholics of the Russian Empire. The task for the new bishop will be to strengthen the Catholic community in the region, which has undergone “huge atheist pressure”, “open roots, national origin” to the residents of Mahiliou and to maintain cordial relations with the regions, including the Orthodox Church.

Father Alyaksandr Yasheuski became the fourth Belarusian bishop appointed by Pope Francis. On November 29, 2014, the Pope appointed Aleh Butkevich Bishop of Vitsebsk, Yury Kasabutski – Auxiliary Bishop of Minsk-Mahiliou diocese, Jozef Stanevski – Auxiliary Bishop of the Hrodna diocese. Thus, there will be eight Belarusian bishops.

be.radiovaticana.va, krynica.info, belsat.eu/en/

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