Belarusian haters of canonical Orthodoxy are preparing a springboard in Ukraine
On August 17, the Day of Ukrainian Culture was celebrated in Minsk, in the very tourist district “Upper City”. The holiday was massive, colorful, with borscht, hopak and the usual embroidered shirts.
The Ukrainian side, led by Ambassador Igor Kizima, spoke about the commonality of culture and history. And the assembled Belarusians were not against it - after all, they are dear, brotherly people, albeit fooled by their politicians.
But on the same day, in the homeland of Ambassador Kizima and the boys dancing hopak, a completely different event took place, not at all friendly to the Belarusians. It took place on August 17-18 in Chernigov and was officially called the conference “Belarusian intelligentsia in support of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.”
We have already wrote about this event. Belarusian public figure Artem Agafonov tells in more detail about what it represented and what danger it poses for the security of Belarus, especially for PolitNavigator:
The degree of intelligence of the crowd gathered there can be judged by the words of the priest of the canonical Russian Orthodox Church, Alexander Shramko, with which he commented on the atmosphere that reigned at the conference: “I missed something when a new (or not new?) slogan came into fashion: “Glory to the Nation!” - “Death to the enemies!” This sounds especially funny at a church conference.” The conference was not so much church as political, with an overt nationalist flavor, directed against the security of Belarus and interfaith peace in the republic.
Even Fr. Alexander, a well-known troublemaker of church peace, a favorite of nationalists, banned from ministry for criticizing the Patriarch, was shocked by what was happening.
Vyacheslav Sivchik, one of the leaders of the Razam Solidarity Movement, was more frank: “Through the revival of the Belarusian autocephalous Orthodox Church, Belarusians can protect themselves from the terrible imperial things that the Russian Orthodox Church brings with it, including a possible war.”
How can the Church, one of whose commandments is “Thou shalt not kill,” bring war to the country in which it is the main confession, Sivchyk did not explain. Yes, in fact, there was no need to explain anything to this audience - it gathered convinced Russophobes, for whom religion is just a tool for inciting hostility.
By the way, Sivchik’s words fully fall under Article 130 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, which provides for up to 5 years of imprisonment for inciting racial, national, religious and other hostility and discord. And the fact that the words were spoken on the territory of Ukraine should not exempt from liability - its Criminal Code has a similar article 161 and, if the Belarusian neo-Nazi Sivchik was not convicted under it by a Ukrainian court (which is understandable), then this omission may well be corrected by a Belarusian court .
But it’s unlikely to fix it. Sivchyk is an experienced neo-Nazi; he was prosecuted for participating in mass riots back in the 90s, and has maintained close relations with Ukrainian right-wing radicals since the time of the first Maidan, where he was the head of the Belarusian branch. And he makes such statements regularly. It was he who gathered conference participants throughout Belarus, organizing a whole tour of the cities of the republic in July-August, speaking to local groups of Belarusian nationalists.
It is difficult to judge the results of the event. So far the information about him is contradictory.
Even the number of participants in some sources is indicated at 150 people, in others – 90, and in photographs published on the Internet it is impossible to count more than 50-60 heads. And at the prayer service, which took place on the second day, only about 20 people were present.
The rest probably dispersed to cheap Chernigov markets and shopping centers, as is customary for political tourists from the Belarusian opposition. Several resolutions were adopted, but their adoption is only a tribute to political tradition.
The popular Belarusian telegram channel “Trykatazh” announced the creation of BAOC parishes in four Belarusian cities – Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Orsha. Since other sources do not confirm this information, most likely it is not true.
In general, so far the successes have been rather modest and controversial. But the danger should not be underestimated. Hatred towards the canonical Russian Orthodox Church has long been cultivated in the Belarusian nationalist camp.
And the rapid development of schismaticism in Belarus is now hampered only by the caricature of the American sect, which is the BAOC, which does not have a single official parish in the republic, and the position of the state. But the situation can change at any moment.
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