Today’s meeting between Aliaksandr Lukashenka and American preacher Franklin Graham revealed data on the liquidation of Protestant communities in Belarus during the re-registration process. The figures had not previously been officially published, but after the numbers were announced, “Christian Vision” shared its calculations.
During the meeting, Lukashenka stated that Belarus currently has 850 Protestant communities, 20 missions, and five educational institutions.
“In the next day or two, you will meet with our Protestant believers. And you will already have a better impression of how they live here. But I want to assure you that this is our brand. We are proud that we have interfaith peace. Therefore, you should not worry about your Protestants, our Protestants,” he said.
After comparing these figures with data from the website of the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs before the start of the re-registration process, “Christian Vision” concluded that there had previously been 931 Protestant communities and 21 missions in the country.
“If the data provided by Lukashenka are complete, it means that 81 organizations were liquidated. Also, before the re-registration there were 21 Protestant missions in Belarus, meaning that one of them has now been closed. The number of educational institutions has not changed,” the resource wrote.
The “Festival of Hope,” involving Protestant churches, will take place at Minsk’s Chyzhouka-Arena on May 16–17.
