MINSK, October 17. . Belarusian Ambassador to the Vatican, Yury Ambrazevich, met with the head of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, and conveyed the initial message of the President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko to the Pope. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus reported this news.
“On October 16, 2025, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Holy See, Yuri Ambrazevich, met with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who will visit Belarus next week to participate in ceremonial events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Pinsk diocese,” the text said.
According to the ministry, the parties discussed current issues of interaction between Belarus and the Vatican in the areas of Gugerotti's competence.
“During the meeting, the ambassador presented the Cardinal with a gift on behalf of the President of the Republic of Belarus to Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the Holy Father's anniversary, as well as an initial personal message from the head of state of Belarus,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The content of the message was not given.
The day before, the Vatican News portal reported that the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Belarus, Mr. Joseph Stanevsky, conveyed an official invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit this republic. According to the portal, the Pope accepted the invitation, noting that the calendar for the current anniversary year is very busy and events are planned for 2026. At the same time, Pope Leo XIV said that the invitation will be considered and the response will be transmitted through the Apostolic Nunciature in Minsk.
