Belarus is a country of unity, justice and mutual assistance

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko visited Holy Protection Convent in Tolochin on Easter Day, April 20th

The Head of State warmly congratulated the clergy, parishioners of the church, as well as all Christians of the country on the bright Easter holiday and honestly admitted that this day is special for him, “No matter how difficult and challengeable the times may be (they have been different in our history), we have been always anticipating this bright holiday — the Resurrection of Christ, our Easter — with great desire and inspiration.” The Belarusian leader added that the Easter is celebrated by all Christians this year — ‘which is very symbolic for us, since our country is a land of unity, justice, mutual understanding, and mutual assistance’.

This year, Easter for Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Protestants fell on the same day — April 20th. In Belarus, where places of worship from different denominations are often found side by side, the ability to share joy has become a long-established norm. Therefore, there are a lot of multi-religious families in Belarus, where traditions from various denominations intertwine. The unifying foundation for all is the shared spiritual values based on devotion to peace, love, kindness, and mutual respect.
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko extended greetings to all Christians in Belarus on the occasion of the bright holiday of Easter. “Millions of believers, guided by the core principles of goodness and mercy, welcome the Resurrection of Christ with warmth in their hearts. This holiday brings happiness, joy, and love into our homes,” the congratulatory message read.
As noted by Aleksandr Lukashenko, the reverence for Christian values has been preserved in Belarus. People here are much grateful to the Lord for the existing peace and harmony. The President wished Belarusians a life balance, good health, and success.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God is more than 420 years old, but it is tidy and is in a good condition thanks to caring Belarusians. In this regard, the President expressed the hope that such an attitude would be present in all aspects of life during this Year of Improvement.
The Belarusian leader drew attention to an important fact, “I have noticed that those whom we helped a lot do not work well. Therefore — no one lies in the church — I should tell you openly: this year will be very serious in terms of restoring order in our country.”
The Head of State emphasised that Year of Improvement envisages not only sweeping the streets and planting trees. “Everyone should tidy up their backyards — be it in villages or cities. There should be no neglected and abandoned lands, there should be no landfills. We must live this year with dignity and create normal living conditions — primarily, for our children,” he stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also announced that there will be inspections in Vitebsk Region in order to assess the work done here. The Head of State added that a welfare mentality has captured some people, who think that they simply need to make a TikTok post, and the President will sort everything out. “That’s right. We will deal with everyone,” he said. “Therefore, taking this opportunity, being in the temple of God, I want to ask you: do what you must do in your workplace.”
The Head of State noted that, upon arrival in Tolochin, he had talked with the chairman of the district executive committee and announced inspections in Vitebsk Region, “Here is a piece of insider information for local authorities: get ready for a serious inspection of your work.”
The Belarusian leader emphasised, 

“I promised you earlier and I voice this promise now: there will be justice at the heart of my and authorities’ politics, and money will be paid to those who earn it. The Lord did not give us oil and gas, so we cannot sell them and earn money for all. We do not have these, we rather earn everything with our own hands. There must be some sense in this, since He decided so. Therefore, let’s use what we have and protect our Belarusian land — to save it for our children. It is sacred, and we will not have another one.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also recalled the most important holiday: the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.
As noted by the Head of State, the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory is among the specific features of this year. A criminal investigation into the genocide of Belarus’ residents during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period continues in the country, and the President said in that regard, “We are discovering many burial sites (even more than elsewhere in Belarus) in Vitebsk Region. This year is very special for Vitebsk Region, for Belarus.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko added that the first steps are already being taken to honour the Great Victory, and — as he noted — Volgograd Region of Russia will soon join these celebrations. “We have agreed with the President of Russia to meet there. We will talk with young people, pay tribute to the heroes who fought on the banks of the Volga River. Parades in Moscow and Belarus will follow then. We will be paying tribute to those who brought this life to us until Independence Day,” the Head of State said.

belta

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, each of the major denominations present in Belarus should start creating their own centres of attraction this year, and the Museum of World Religions will be set up in Minsk — ‘so that our young people know what religions are, and where their roots come from’. “Anyone will be able to visit [this museum] and see where our spirituality originates from,” the Head of State said, speaking of the plans.

The President also recalled that a magnificent centre of achievements of the Belarusian people — the Minsk International Exhibition Centre, or so-called Belarusian VDNH — had been built. By May 9th, it will fully open to the public. As noted by Aleksandr Lukashenko, it is especially important that young people see the expositions.
In addition, the National History Museum is being built in the country. Its visitors will be able to get acquainted with the history of the Belarusian statehood creation since ancient times.
The Head of State drew the attention of all Belarusians to what he had already said, including on Christmas Day, “These will be difficult years, especially the year 2025. We need to get united and mobilised in order to pass them [calmly]. The turbulence, chaos, and mess in the world are tremendous.”
At the same time, the country’s authorities are trying to protect the Belarusian people from this chaos, doing everything to ensure that every working person sees the results of their activity and peacefully raises children. “Actually, the years are very difficult and challengeable for our economy, especially under the conditions of sanctions. The economy is at the heart of everything,” the Belarusian leader stressed.  

The President of Belarus presented an Our Lady of Kazan icon to the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God of the Holy Protection Convent

The 40x50cm icon was made in a relevant workshop of Minsk’s Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk. The image of Our Lady is painted on an alder board with acrylic paints. The icon case is made of birch painted to look like walnut, and its brass framework has hand-made stamping.
The icon of Our Lady of Kazan is one of the most well-known and especially revered Orthodox images of the Mother of God. Celebrations in honour of the icon take place on July 21st and November 4th.

* * * 
It is believed that the convent’s history began with the construction of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God (in the Vilnian Baroque style) in Tolochin in 1604. This architectural monument is unique since it is the only church in Vitebsk Region that has preserved its original form since the beginning of the 17th century.
In 2004, the church celebrated its 400th anniversary, and — following a decision of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church — the Holy Protection Convent was revived in Tolochin on October 10th, 2004.
Since June 2011, Anfisa (Antonina Lyubchak) has been Mother Superior of the convent. In late 2023, the For Spiritual Revival award was bestowed upon her by the President of Belarus.
At the moment, the Belarusian Orthodox Church unites 1,669 religious communities. There are 36 monasteries, one mission, 13 brotherhoods and nine sisterhoods, as well as six theological educational institutions registered in the country. 1,880 churches are open to believers, and another 153 are under construction.

Catholic-Orthodox Gorbach family from Grodno celebrates Easter             Andrei Primachek

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by