In Minsk, a procession of believers walked around the Red Church which has recently become a symbol of the persecution of Roman Catholics by Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime.
Two weeks ago, Belarusian border guards have not allowed Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, a Belarusian citizen and Head of the Roman Catholic Church of Belarus, to enter the country. The prelate was returning from Poland, where he was on a business trip. According to Lukashenka, Kondrusiewicz suddenly left for Warsaw ‘for consultations’ and, received ‘certain tasks’ there.
Earlier, Kondrusiewicz called on the Belarusian authorities, including president Lukashenka, to put an end to growing police violence in the country. In his opinion, the bloodshed in the streets of Belarusian cities, as well as battering and ill-treating protesters are nothing but a ‘heavy sin on the conscience of those who give criminal orders and do violence’.
In late August, dozens of protesters who are seeking the resignation of the incumbent head of state found shelter from OMON riot police in the Red Church, one of the main Roman Catholic churches in Minsk.
On Monday morning, four of six female peaceful protesters were detained in front of it; they were just wearing white-red-and-white face masks and holding posters in their hands.
Nina Bahinskaya, the famous ‘granny with a flag’, who is a striking example of patriotism and perseverance in these peaceful protests, was among the participants in the procession. The pensioner was detained during Heroes’ March in Minsk on September, 13. A day earlier, she showed up at Women’s Loudest March. Last Friday, a policeman forcibly took a white-red-white flag from het, but she brought a new one.
The procession prayed for the peace in Belarusian cities and lit candles under the statue of St. Michael the Archangel fighting the dragon, an impromptu memorial site:
