April 27, Pozirk. A delegation of the Belarusian pro-democracy forces, including a diplomatic adviser to Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and members of the Christian Vision (Chryścijanskaja Vizija) human rights group, took part in funeral services for Pope Francis in the Vatican on April 26, the opposition leader’s press office reported.
“The delegation members expressed their condolences to representatives of the Holy See and joined the memorial Mass on a square near St. Peter’s Basilica,” it said in a press release.
After the ceremony, Dzianis Kučynski “had the opportunity to hold a series of informal conversations with the world’s leading politicians.” The presidents of Argentina, Albania and Moldova, Italian senators, as well as foreign ministers from Ireland, the Netherlands and Romania, were his “key conversation partners.”
Cichanoŭskaja’s adviser also met with Catholic and Orthodox hierarchs: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Archbishop Sviatoslav and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to discuss ways to secure the release of Belarusian political prisoners, stop repression, keep Belarus on top of the international agenda and support the Belarusian civil society and independent media.
“One of my first big missions at Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s office in 2020 was to establish relations with the Vatican and pass Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s letter to Pope Francis through the apostolic nuncio in Lithuania. We were only starting to build these contacts at the time, trying to convey to the Holy See the voice of the Belarusian people fighting for truth and freedom. Pope Francis believed that dialogue is a solution to any crisis. So today’s meetings in the Vatican continue that work and prove that the Belarusian issue remains in the focus of influential international institutions and leaders,” Kučynski said.
