Pope Benedict XVI Sends His Greetings to Political Prisoners in Belarus
Apostolic Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti met with Paviel Sieviaryniec.
Pope Benedict XVI has sent his greetings to the political prisoners in Belarus, said the press office of Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD).
While meeting with BCD Co-chairman Paviel Sieviaryniec, who is serving a three-year “restricted freedom” and corrective labor sentence in the Brest region, Apostolic Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti said that he was scheduled to meet with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome in October, greeted all Belarusian political prisoners on behalf of the pontiff and spoke “words of support and care” to the 35-year-old Sieviaryniec, the press office said.
Messrs. Gugerotti and Sieviaryniec discussed the situation of the prisoners of conscience in Belarus, the press office said. Mr. Sieviaryniec asked the apostolic nuncio to help involve the Catholic Church in Belarus in BCD's campaign for family values.
Archbishop Gugerotti is also expected to meet with other political prisoners, the press office said. He told Mr. Sieviaryniec that a Catholic priest had recently managed to meet with imprisoned human rights defender AlIes BIalIacki.
Mr. Sieviaryniec expressed his gratitude to the nuncio for his visit and care.