Authorities in Belarus stall Catholic charity initiative to help low-income families

By Courtney Mares for CNA

February 17, 2021 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0 Print

The flag of the Republic of Belarus. Credit: SHV_photo/Shutterstock.

Rome Newsroom, Feb 17, 2021 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- A decision by the authorities in Belarus has left a Catholic charity unable to pursue an initiative aimed at helping poor families.

Caritas Minsk planned to help around 700 people through its spring campaign by delivering chickens, piglets, and fruit tree saplings to low-income and single-parent families, in addition to providing food for the homeless.

“Every donation that comes in must be registered with the Department for Humanitarian Activities under the President of the Republic of Belarus,” Fr. Alexander Ulas, a priest in the capital, Minsk, told CNA.

“This year the Department for Humanitarian Activities under the President of Belarus has not registered the funds for these activities — so Caritas will not be able to use these funds. The reason for the refusal of registration is unknown. Caritas has not received any additional explanations. The president just wants it that way.”

Ulas serves as the director of Catholic.by, the news website of the Belarusian bishops’ conference. He said that the Belarusian authorities’ failure to register the donations within the government’s humanitarian department will prevent the distribution of the charitable items to those in need.

Caritas has been serving the poor and marginalized in Belarus since the early 1990s. The charity runs orphanages, soup kitchens, assistance to the imprisoned, and care for the elderly and the disabled.

In addition to these efforts, Caritas Belarus has worked to improve the health of people who still endure the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, according to its website.

The Minsk office of Caritas Belarus first announced on Facebook that the government authorities had not registered the funds intended to aid the poor.

“We do not give up hope for the best and continue to work. We thank everyone who supports us and our projects,” the post said.

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Give religious reps a vote on education committees, Scottish bishop urges

May 29, 2019 CNA Daily News 0

Dundee, Scotland, May 29, 2019 / 11:40 am (CNA).- The Bishop of Dunkeld has met with local government officials to discuss the council area’s decision to strip voting rights from religious representatives on education committees.

“The outcome of the meeting was both cordial and fruitful,” Bishop Stephen Robson said May 28, according to The Courier, a Dundee daily. “Both parties are moving forwards to engage in a meaningful collaboration, working to strengthen our mutual partnership in support of Catholic education.”

Earlier this month, Perth and Kinross Council became Scotland’s first council area to withdraw religious representatives’ voting rights on education committees. The Scottish government had decided that while religious representatives must be appointed to council areas’ education committees, they do not have to be afforded voting rights on those committees.

The Humanist Society Scotland has urged that the rest of Scotland’s 32 council areas also deny religious representatives a vote on education committees.

Perth and Kinross has four Catholic schools, and the Scottish Catholic Education Service “said the Church now has a diminished say” on their future, The Courier reported.

Catholic schools in Scotland are part of the state system, and are not owned by the Church. The Church does have rights over the content of religious and moral education at its schools.

Barbara Coupar, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said, “our representatives do not vote on matters that will not impact on Catholic schools. We believe there was a disproportionate response from the council on this issue and there were better alternatives to resolve the issue. The Church representative on the education committee has an invaluable role in articulating the official response of the Catholic Church on these matters.”

After meeting with Bishop Robson, Perth and Kinross council leader Murray Lyle said that “senior elected members and council officials met with representatives of the local Diocese of the Scottish Catholic Church, and would endorse the view expressed by Bishop Stephen. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our colleagues in the Catholic Church.”

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