Łukašenka pardons Catholic priests Juchnievič and Akałatovič

November 20, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has pardoned Catholic priests Andrej Juchnievič and Hienryk Akałatovič, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus (CCBB) reported.

The recent visit by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, a former apostolic nuncio and current prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, helped facilitate the release of jailed priests, the statement noted.

Vatican envoy Ignazio Ceffalia and Archbishop Juzaf Stanieŭski, who chairs the CCBB, also reportedly participated in the negotiations.

The news comes three days after Poland reopened two additional crossings at the shared border with Belarus for traffic in what is seen by observers as a major concession to Minsk made as part of a broader agreement on the release of political prisoners.

In its statement, the CCBB pointed out that the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus welcomes the resumption of dialogue between Belarus and the United States, as well as contacts between Minsk and the Vatican.

Akałatovič, a parish priest from Vałožyn, Minsk region, was given 11 years in prison last year on high treason charges, filed against him for alleged espionage for Poland and the Vatican. Authorities did not disclose any details about his trial. The priest, whose health started declining behind bars, described the case against him as a “blatant provocation,” denying ever being a spy.

Juchnievič, rector of the church of Our Lady of Fátima in Šumilina, Viciebsk region, was arrested in May 2024 on suspicion of subversive activity against the Belarusian state, following a Viciebsk diocese church meeting. Earlier this year, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison at a closed-door trial.

According to the Chryścijanskaja Vizija human rights group, at least 91 priests were persecuted in Belarus between the fall of 2020 and late September 2025, including 35 Catholic priests.

Experts assume that Łukašenka wants to improve relations with the Holy See to use it as a platform to engage with the West, citing Minsk’s intention to open the Belarusian embassy in the Vatican this year and the recent appointment of senior diplomat Juryj Ambrazievič as an ambassador to the Holy See.

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