Lukashenka Tears Down 50 More Crosses at Kuropaty, Infuriating Belarusians and Religious Leaders

Eurasia - New Series ^ | Apr 14, 2019

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Only nine days after provoking near universal anger among Belarusians and revulsion in Western capitals by having his forces tear down 70 crosses at the site of the Kuropaty mass graves near Minsk, Alyaksandr Lukashenka compounded his offense by having them destroy 50 more yesterday.

This time the actions were taken by about 100 participants in a Soviet-style Saturday work session, and leaders announced that they were planting trees in place of the metal crosses. But their actions provoked a counter-demonstration by Belarusians outraged by this attack on religion and national identity and negative commentaries by Catholic and Orthodox leaders.

Archbishopp Tadeusz Kondrusevich, the head of the Catholic Church of Belarus, was particularly outspoken.

Noting that not ten days had passed since the Belarusian authorities had dishonored the chief symbol of Christianity, the archbishop sharply criticized this repetition, arguing that the destruction and removal of the crosses has inflicted “a deep wound on the heart of the believer.” He said that they and all the Christians in Belarus were now “a voice crying in the wilderness.”

The Belarusian Orthodox Church did not issue an official statement, but its press secretary, Sergey Lepin, on his page said that he had thought the problems were in the past after the days since the original destruction of crosses occurred on April 4. But that has turned out to be not the case.

[2banana]

Like...

Why? Who owns the land? Were the crosses authorized? WHy is this even a dispute? Etc.

[Mount Athos]

A whole lot of identical tall wooden crosses were recently put up on the periphery, these were the ones taken away.

https://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.3854944.1554831590!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_620_330/image.jpg

https://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.3854943!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg

Not clear whether the long standing crosses closer in were also taken or just these new ones. I don’t trust the stuff I’m reading anyway

[RitchieAprile]

Its a site where NKVD buried thousands of purge victims which Belarus government would prefer the world forget about.

[Midwesterner53]

The last dictator in Europe may not last.