Belarus Supreme Court Denies Legal Status To Churches (Worthy News)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MINSK/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Three Greek Catholic parishes can no longer continue operating legally in autocratically ruled Belarus after their mandatory applications for “re-registration” were rejected by a regional court, well-informed Christians told Worthy News.

The three churches in Belarus’s Brest region were originally registered in the 1990s but were forced to reapply under controversial new legislation, according to advocates familiar with the case.

“Churches in Belarus encounter increasing pressures under a new religion law that came into effect in July 2024. The legislation requires all churches to undergo re-registration, including those that had previously been approved by the government,” advocacy group Voice of the Martyrs Canada told Worthy News.

“The affected parishes appealed the decision, but their cases were dismissed by the regional court. On April 9, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling, leaving the congregations without legal status.”

Any religious activity conducted by these churches is now “considered illegal and punishable under law, placing them at risk of forced liquidation,” VOMC added.

GROWING PRESSURE

VOMC said it had urged supporters to pray for the believers impacted by the decision.

Belarus has been ruled by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko since the office was established in 1994, despite international concerns about the fairness of elections in the country.

Under Lukashenko, authorities have increasingly cracked down on groups viewed as a threat to his leadership, including churches and other religious communities, observers say.

Belarus ranked 53rd on the Open Doors 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face persecution and discrimination.

Open Doors says Christians in Belarus face growing state surveillance, restrictive registration requirements, raids, censorship, and pressure on churches seen as insufficiently supportive of the government. Religious leaders criticizing state policies or Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine have also faced intimidation, detention, or closure of their congregations, according to rights advocates.

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