Archdiocese of Minsk-Mahiljou

	Archdiocese of Minsk-Mahiljou
Basic data
Country	Belarus
Diocesan bishop	Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz
Auxiliary bishop	Juri Kasabutski ; Aleksandr Jaschewski SDB
founding	April 13, 1991
surface	69,800 km²
Dean's offices	6 (2000)
Parishes	222 (2016 / AP 2017 )
Residents	4,401,000 (2016 / AP 2017 )
Catholics	625,000 (2016 / AP 2017 )
proportion of	14.2%
Diocesan priest	62 (2016 / AP 2017 )
Religious priest	60 (2016 / AP 2017 )
Catholics per priest	5.123
Friars	77 (2016 / AP 2017 )
Religious sisters	68 (2016 / AP 2017 )
rite	Roman rite
Liturgical language	Belarusian ; Russian
cathedral	St. Mary's name in Minsk
Co-cathedral	St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Anthony
address	pl. Swobody 9 ; 220030 Minsk ; Belarus
Suffragan dioceses	Diocese of Hrodna ; Diocese of Pinsk ; Diocese of Vitebsk

Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Minsk

The Archdiocese of Minsk-Mahiljou ( Byelorussian Мінска-Магілёўская архідыяцэзія Minska-Mahiljouskaja archidyjazesija , Latin Archidioecesis Minscensis Latinorum-Mohiloviensis Latinorum-Belarus ) is today the Archdiocese of Belarus . In the 18th and 19th Century of outstanding importance for the Roman Catholic Church in the Russian Empire .

The Archbishop's residence is in Minsk . On September 21, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI. the previous Archbishop of Moscow Kondrusiewicz to succeed the Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Swiatek in June 2006 .

history

Archdiocese of Mahiljou

up to the 18th century: Before the partitions of Poland , only a few Catholics lived in Russia . Pastoral care only through mission stations ( Jesuits in Moscow since 1648). In 1706 Peter I granted freedom of religion on condition that he did not encourage conversions .

1773: The partition of Poland brings hundreds of thousands of Catholics under Russian rule. In contrast to the Uniate Church , the state tries to instrumentalize the Catholic Church for its own purposes. Congregations (e.g. Franciscans in Saint Petersburg ) and church schools are founded, and there is tax exemption for the church and its institutions. Since none of the old Polish bishops' seats went to Russia in the first division, Catherine the Great founds a bishopric for the entire empire with its seat in Mahiljou .

1783: The Russian Empress Catherine II elevates - without asking the Pope for his consent - the diocese of Mahiljou to the archbishopric for all of Russia (on April 15, 1783).

1793: With the 2nd division of Poland, the episcopal seats of Kamianets , Lutsk , Zhytomyr , Livonia and Vilnius fall to Russia and are temporarily suspended.

1798: Four of the five abolished dioceses are re-established: Kamyanets , Lutsk (united with Zhytomyr ), Livonia (under the name Samogitia ) and Vilna . In addition, the diocese of Minsk will be newly established.

19th century: Catholicism in Russia is subject to persecution, especially during the reigns of Nicholas I and Alexander II (1825–81).

Diocese of Minsk

1798: Establishment of a bishopric in Minsk from parts of the territory of the Archdiocese of Mahiljou (on August 9, 1798).
1869–1917: The Minsk diocese is co-administered by the Archbishops of Mahiljou.
1917: The Russian government under Kerensky decides to re-establish the diocese of Minsk. A diocesan administrator Eduard O'Rourke is installed.