11 Polish Priests May Be Expelled From Belarus

• 16.08.2026, 18:28

They were not cleared for duty.

Another 11 Polish Catholic priests from the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese may be forced to leave Belarus, as they have not received permission from the Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Nationalities to continue their religious activities, while “some have received such permission for a minimal period,” reports the “Christian Vision” initiative.

It is noted that in connection with this, the chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus, Metropolitan of Minsk and Mogilev Joseph Stanevsky, sent a request to Alexander Lukashenko to “extend the permission for these priests to minister in Belarus.”

The name of one of the 11 priests is given—Roman Shulz, who has served in Belarus since 2007. It is reported that he was “bid farewell” on August 15 during a Mass celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the cathedral in Mogilev.

“This monk from the Dominican Order was also denied permission to continue his religious activities in Belarus and must leave the country in the coming days,” the publication states. “For nearly 15 years, he served as administrator of the Parish of St. Casimir and St. Jadwiga in Mogilev, organized the annual Rosary Congress, initiated other events, and authored articles for the Catholic press in Belarus.”

It is emphasized that the aforementioned Mass at the Mogilev church was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus, Archbishop Ignazio Cefalia, Stanevsky, and the Vicar General of the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese, Bishop Alexander Yashevsky.