A belated step towards recovery: the Belarusian Church recommended not to perform the nationalist anthem

The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Veniamin, spoke out against the performance of the favorite hymn of Belarusian nationalists “Mighty of God” in churches.

He stated this in Grodno after the festive liturgy on the day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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“There is no need to sing secular chants that divide our society. Although it has a spiritual connotation, nevertheless, someone rejoices at the performance of this chant, and someone mourns. We have enough other chants that do not divide, but unite our society, our parishes... I think there is no need to somehow consolidate this with some kind of decrees, orders... May the Lord help us to unite, unite and return to a quiet, peaceful Belarus, living according to the principles of the Gospel,” said Benjamin.

The words of the religious hymn “Mighty of God” were written by poetess Natalya Arsenyeva in 1943. She was the wife of a Polish officer of Belarusian origin, Franz Kuschel, who deserted from the army during the First World War, and during the Second World War became the Nazi's chief representative for police issues in Belarus.

Arsentieva-Kushel herself collaborated with the Nazi publication Belarusskaya Gazeta. After the war, both fled to the United States, where they were engaged in anti-Soviet activities.

Now “Magutny God” is one of the anthems of the Belarusian protests.

However, until recently, the Belarusian authorities themselves were very loyal to Arsenyeva’s legacy - under the patronage of Lukashenko, since 1997, as part of flirting with nationalists, even a festival called “Magutny God” was held.

It was no coincidence that Metropolitan Benjamin expressed his recommendations specifically in Grodno. After the start of the protest, the priests of this western region of Belarus defiantly posted a video on the Internet in which they performed “Mighty of God.” In addition, they served a joint prayer service “for peace” with Catholic priests.

And Grodno Archbishop Artemy delivered a fiery sermon, condemning the Belarusian authorities and supporting the protesters.

“Our people have turned into animals and are tormenting their own brothers. People come to us priests and tell us about this with tears in their eyes. You need to be on your knees for all the falsification and lies, for the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, for everything that happened. Your students have broken free. They are thirsty for blood, they are insane,” the priest said then.

This position was not supported by the entire Grodno clergy. The speech at the women's forum in support of Lukashenko by the abbess of the Holy Nativity of the Mother of God Gabriela Convent had a great resonance.

The nun condemned the protesters, calling the women crafty, who seem to be calling for peace in white robes, but at the same time making “gestures of leaders of destructive sects” with their hands.

“We see a crowd of madmen whom we feel sorry for, for whom we want to pray, before whom we want to kneel and ask: stop. Having attached foreign flags, they, like an angry herd, scream demonic cries throughout the whole city,” said Gabriela.

Metropolitan Benjamin then forced Gabriel to make a public apology and stop the collection of signatures against Archbishop Artemy, which she had begun. To do this, he personally visited Grodno and talked with the congregation. Despite this, Gabriela was persecuted by the opposition community in the region.

And now a month later, the head of the BOC takes a step in the opposite direction, essentially banning the performance of the nationalist anthem.

It is believed that Veniamin’s appointment as Metropolitan of Belarus in August was related to the political situation in the country. His predecessor, Metropolitan Pavel, first congratulated President Alexander Lukashenko on his election, and then withdrew his congratulations.

Let us recall that in the Grodno region the position of the Catholic Church is strong, through which Poland promotes pro-Western sentiments among Belarusian youth. It is no coincidence that a month ago the Belarusian authorities banned the head of Belarusian Catholics, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, from entering the country.